Gerard Bertrand - Cote des Roses Pinot Noir

Classification: IGP

Year: 2018

Alcohol: 13%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

I decently enjoyed Gerard Bertrand’s rose that I figured I’d give the pinot noir a try. Besides, I really love the bottles they come in!

I’ve definitely come accustomed to giving the bottles a good sniff as soon as I let it open and vent a bit, as the flavours can give you a good sense of what flavours to expect. That said, I was not too overwhelmed with the scents of this one. While I could sense sweeter berry flavours and fruits, the scents were neither terribly strong nor distinct. I got the same kind of feel when I decided to try a sip. Light sweet flavours of cherry and raspberry along with somewhat darker flavours such as blueberry and blackberry can be made, but they feel quite watered down and a tad acidic at first. The body is quite light; probably a bit too light and doesn’t pack a lot of depth to it. It felt more like a box of minute maid fruit punch juice. Words like “velvety” and “silky” could also describe the body, but still doesn’t have too many distinct flavours and notes to it. The finish is a tad dry with no real strong or distinct aftertaste that leaves you begging for more. All that said, it is still fairly light from start to finish and can be pounded back quite easily.

Sad to say, this one didn’t do it for me. Although I’ve had much more acidic and dryer wines, and I cant say this is a horrible wine, this one lacks a lot of distinguished and established flavours for me to really recommend it (perhaps in comparison to the other ones I've had). If you want a bottle of wine for the sake of a bottle of wine and to get hammered while having some distinguishable taste, by all means go for this one. It’s decently cheap and still smooth enough to pound back if that’s your drinking style. You can still probably find better wines that are a tad cheaper or invest a bit more for a better bottle that has much more powerful and distinct flavours.

Pairings: Grilled meats and even light snacks such as a charcuterie board would pair decently. Heck, I can't really think of anything it wouldn't go good with given its smoothness.

Overall Rating: 2 Languedoc Crosses out of 5

Where To Get:

• Horseman Liquor Store (Airdrie)

• City Liquor (Calgary)

• Deer Point Liquor Store (Calgary)

• Calgary Co-op Wines & Spirits (Calgary)

• Parkwest Liquor Loft (Edmonton)

• Daily LIquor (Calgary)

• Sobeys Liquor - Royal Oak (Calgary)

• Sherbrooke Liquor Store (Edmonton)

• Sobeys Liquor Store - Nottingham (Sherwood Park)

• Towne Centre Liquor Store (Grande Prairie)

• Liquor Empire (Calgary)

• Sobeys Liquor - Summit (St. Albert)

• Crown Liquor Store (Edmonton)

• Sobeys Liquor (Chestermere)

• Cloud 9 Liquor Store Concourse A (Calgary)

• Hinton Liquor Store (Hinton)

• Calgary Co-op Wines & Spirits - Crowfoot (Calgary)

• Grape Wine and Spirits (Calgary)

• Rocky Liquor Store (Rocky Mountain House)

• Liquor House (Edmonton)

• Safeway Liquor - Palisades (Edmonton)

• Riviera Liquor Store (Edmonton)

• Crossroads Liquor (Sherwood Park)

• Craft Cellars (Calgary)

• Downtown Liquor (Edmonton)

• RJ Liquor (Calgary)

• Safeway Liquor - Brooks (Brooks)

• Cougar Ridge Liquor Fine Wine & Spirits (Calgary)

• Liquor Today (Edmonton)

• Albertino Liquor (Edmonton)

• Northmount Liquor Store (Edmonton)

• Willow Park Wines & Spirits (Calgary)

• Capitol Hill Liquor (Calgary)

• Grape Wine and Spirits (Calgary)

• Red Stone Liquor (Calgary)