Clos d'Ora Rouge 2017
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Robert
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James
Suckling
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The top of the line at Bertrand comes from a nine-hectare portion of his estate in Minervois. The 2017 Minervois la Liviniere Clos d'Ora boasts slightly resinous scents of local garrigue, cedary oak and mixed berries on the nose. Full-bodied, lush and velvety, it's nevertheless a bit open-knit and coarse on the long finish, showing ample concentration, power and intensity, but perhaps a certain lack of elegance this vintage. Certified biodynamic.
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James Suckling
Berries, milk chocolate, menthol, grilled herbs and tapenade on the nose. Medium body with polished tannins. It’s round and mellow with a supple character. Some spices, too. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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2018-
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James
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Robert
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James
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Robert
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In 1997, when he had just acquired Laville Bertrou in the heart of the Minervois, Gérard Bertrand visited the vines. At the turn of a plot, he feels a feeling of eternity, like a distant call, which regularly comes back in his dreams and becomes clearer. Everything speaks to him of an exceptional place between dry stone walls. Each time he enters this part of the vineyard, the signal is there. Gérard Bertrand realizes that these vines are located precisely on a unique contact zone: a geological fault between limestone and marl soils. The Clos was delimited in 2000. Biodynamic cultivation is an obvious choice for the soils that called for the creation of this place. Next to old Carignan and Grenache, he plants Syrah and Mourvèdre. On the culminating point, on the site of an old sheepfold, the building is constructed, again in accordance with the principles of biodynamics. It houses an open-air vat room that encourages the interaction of the wines with the stars, a maturing cellar where the sun only comes in at the summer solstice, and a meditation area.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Granted its own appellation within Minervois in the Languedoc region of France, Minervois La Livinière takes its name from cella vinaria, Latin for ‘wine cellar.’ In the hilly northern end of Minervois, the altitude and dense, rocky limestone soils of La Liviniere produce quality red Rhône Blends made from Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Carignan.