Rhone White Blend, Domaine de Cigalus, Languedoc, FR, 2021

Cigalus enjoys a hot, sunny Mediterranean climate (described as “semi-arid with temperate spring variants”) ensuring early ripening of all the grape varieties. This arid climate (low rainfall) is offset by the very deep soils (sediments deposited by the Aussou, a stream at the edge of the estate) which stores the winter rains for longer but are less fertile due to the presence of a slightly chalky sandstone in the subsoil, dating back to the Campanian (secondary era, prior to the emergence of the Pyrenees).

In the hollow of the Corbières, on the terroir of Fontfroide ("cold springs"), the Domaine de Cigalus benefits from the refreshing contributions of this unique environment which allows it great ampelographic freedom between the earliest and the latest grape varieties. Gérard Bertrand has retained the former owner's bias for heterogeneous choices in red (Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, Caladoc, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan) and white (Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon), to produce exceptional, resolutely atypical wines.