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Sourced from a stunning landscape of rugged cliffs overlooking the sparkling Mediterranean in the South of France, the rich and satisfying 97 pt. 2020 Gerard Bertrand Chateau l'Hospitalet Grand Vin La Clape Rouge and lush and honeyed 93 pt. 2021 Gerard Bertrand Chateau l'Hospitalet Grand Vin La Clape Blanc reflect renowned winemaker Gerard Bertrand’s legacy of producing wines of “exceptional quality, complexity and class” according to the Wine Enthusiast's Lauren Buzzeo, two enticing Languedoc blends bargain priced for everyday enjoyment.
Based in a region known for mass produced wines, former rugby star and third generation winemaker George Bertrand has been instrumental in elevating the Languedoc’s reputation for quality, purchasing the L’Hospitalet estate in the coastal region of La Clape near Narbonne in 2002 to craft Rhone varietal blends. Boasting a history of winemaking dating back to the Roman empire, Bertrand is a pioneer of biodynamic viticulture in the region, reducing yields, harvesting later, and vinifying the plots separately to isolate the uniqueness of the terroir while attaining organic and biodynamic certification for the estate vineyards. Situated in the relatively new La Clape AOC established in 2015, Bertrand’s seaside vineyards are located on a 600 foot high limestone plateau that enjoys a semi-arid climate moderated by their proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, planted in a mix of fossil-rich marl and limestone soils and red Mediterranean soils formed on bluish grey compact chalk with the rugged terrain naturally limiting yields and enhancing concentration. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre sourced from strictly selected, hand harvested fruit, the fresh and silky 97 pt. 2020 Gerard Bertrand Chateau l'Hospitalet La Clape Rouge was aged in new French oak for 12 to 16 months, yielding rich, ripe fruit with well-integrated notes of toasty oak and vanilla and vibrant acidity on a lengthy finish, while the 93 pt. 2021 Gerard Bertrand Chateau l'Hospitalet Grand Vin La Clape Blanc is luscious blend of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc and Vermentino, aged for 7-8 months with regular lees stirring to yield creamy, honeyed fruit hinting of spice with racy minerality and a bright, saline finish.
Described by the Wine Spectator’s Kristen Bieler as having “almost single handedly raised the reputation and quality of the region,” George Bertrand’s top scoring Chateau L’Hospitalet Grand Vins rank at the top of the Languedoc for combining quality and value, among “the world’s sexiest inexpensive wines” according Vinous and both affordably priced and seductively delicious reflections of their South of France terroir. | 
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