December 6

Marinos Skolarikos

Founder

As we enter the first days of December we will present some of the best wines we tasted in 2021.
We start today with Clos D'Ora. The powerful and elegand wine of Gerard Bertrand.

In 1997, Gérard Bertrand had a dream, which came true in 2012 with the first vintage from the Clos d'Ora vineyards, after 15 years of reflection and preparation. This exceptional place is located precisely on a geological fault between limestone and marl soils, a unique contact area. This transgenerational wine symbolizes a link between the kingdoms of the mineral, the vegetable, the animal and the human. It is a sanctuary dedicated to peace, love and harmony.

 In 1997, when he had just acquired Laville Bertrou in the heart of the Minervois, Gérard Bertrand visited the vineyards. At the turn of a plot, he feels a feeling of eternity, like a distant call, which comes back regularly in his dreams and becomes clearer. Everything tells him about an exceptional place between the dry stone walls. Every time he enters this part of the vineyard, the signal is there. Gérard Bertrand realizes that these vines are located precisely on a single 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 have called for the creation of this place. Next to the old Carignan and Grenache, he plants Syrah and Mourvèdre. On the highest point, on the site of an old sheepfold, the building is built, again in compliance with the principles of biodynamics. It houses an open-air vat room that promotes the interaction of wines with the stars, an ageing cellar where the sun only enters at the summer solstice, as well as a meditation area. September 4, 2014, is the revelation of the 2012 vintage, after 17 years of reflection and research.

The Clos d'Ora is a mysterious and timeless place, a sanctuary difficult to access that invites humility. It reveals the Mediterranean trilogy of vines, olive trees and oak, in a preserved and protected nature. On nine hectares, at 220 meters above sea level, the cultivation of the land and the vine in biodynamics is privileged, to the mule, letting oneself be guided by intuition, the feeling and the connection with nature. This is the new paradigm that Gérard Bertrand defends for men, for nature and for the world. The symbiosis between the grape varieties and the soils on which they are planted allows the syrah (on limestones) to constitute the backbone of the Clos d'Ora, meeting the enveloping power of Grenache (sublimated on marly soils) and finally the touch of spicy velvet of Mourvèdre and the freshness that Carignan has made its signature in clay soil. Love is everywhere at the Clos d'Ora: in the place that links the kingdoms of the mineral, the vegetable, the animal and the human, in wine and its transgenerational dimension, in the message addressed to the world. Like a timeless prayer, suspended between the Alpha and omega of everything.

Unique and bordering on the sublime, the Clos d'Ora is, more than a wine, a unique experience, a suspended moment in which resonate the intention of its creator, the work of man and animal, the patient power of the plant on the base of the mineral. The harmonious sum of these complicit vibrations produces a miracle of balance: red and black fruit adorned with spicy and floral notes (leather, pepper and nutmeg, violet and peony) embedded in a melted tannic structure, with a velvety texture of infinite accuracy and confounding freshness. The finish unfolds for a long time its peppery generosity prolonged by beautiful bitter sapids and gourmands.

Cultivated using biodynamic methods, only horse traction is used for working between the rows. Leaf thinning takes place before the harvest and the grapes are entirely hand-picked. Each grape variety and each parcel is macerated in separate batches in an unlined, thermoregulated precast concrete vat. Syrah: vatting and vinification of destalked grapes. Grenache and Mourvèdre: destemming and light crushing before vatting under strict temperature control. Very gentle maceration, limiting the extraction of tannins. Some pumping over for aeration, and humidification of the cap only. Carignan: whole bunch vatting at higher temperatures to extract the maximum of aromas.

Clos d'Ora 2017 is distinguished by its brilliant deep ruby colour. Its character, powerful and elegant, is revealed on the palate by intense aromas of black fruits and subtle, melted tannins. Thanks to its sophisticated vinification and maturation, Clos d'Ora benefits from a remarkable amplitude and length in the mouth. Clos d'Ora is an exceptional wine with great ageing potential.

Decant 1 hour before service. Best served at 17°C with a beef grilled and slowely cooked.

Cheers!