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$30 Wine Tasting Party Kit. Free! Saint Chinian, 2009. Gerard Bertrand
Saint-Chinian is a renowned wine making region in Languedoc where its viticultural traditions date back to the Middle Ages. Here the vineyards are ideally suited on elevated south facing slopes dominated by a schist based soil. The name derives from the Benedictine monk, Anhan, who founded the Saint Laurent monastery in 794 on the left bank of the River Vernazobre. He was beatified in 1102 and the monastery took his name: Sanch Anhan, which later became Saint-Chinian in the Middle Ages. The central Languedoc boasts a hotter climatic zone and earlier ripening. Two types of soil found here are: a gravelly clay soil giving well-structured wines with noticeable tannins and a richer soil with limestone fragments giving softer wines with coated tannins. A visionary in the Languedoc, Gerard Bertrand understood the evolution in consumer behavior towards expressive, well-balanced and elegant wines. By offering great wines at fair prices his success was inevitable. He quickly became the quality reference in the opinion of the professionals. Following the footsteps of his father, Gerard has been contributing to the epic story of the Languedoc. Our selection, though not as well-known in the US, is a classic combination of grapes throughout the Southern Rhone. Since Saint-Chinian is near the Southern Rhone, the combination works very well. Syrah supplies the backbone, color and intensity of the blend. Sometimes it may be too intense, therefore Mourvedre comes in to incorporate a balanced intensity. With all the fruit adjectives used to describe wines, the one you almost never hear is "grapes." We get plum, raspberry, cranberry and a lovely grapeyness. It seems odd that you never hear that a wine tastes like grapes, which of course is what it's made from. The wine offers a deep red robe with violet glints. On the nose it reveals a rich bouquet of red fruits with hints of thyme and rosemary lingering in the background. The palate is supple and round with soft grain tannins neatly framing the fruit. Excellent with roasted game or lamb. July 2012 Limited Series Newsletter (.pdf)
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