Welcoming the future at cigalus… from bunch to bunch

The optimal ripeness of the Chardonnay grapes from the plots of the Domaine de Cigalus, at the gateway to the Corbières, gives the starting signal for the 2021 harvest across all of Gérard Bertrand's vineyards. Combined at blending with Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc, these grapes with high qualitative potential will yield, during the summer of 2022, the 2021 vintage of the Cigalus Blanc, IGP Aude Hauterive.
In a few weeks, the harvest will move on to the plots of red grape varieties used in the blend of the Cigalus Rouge.

Every morning, Bertrand Boileau, estate manager of Cigalus, walks the 75 hectares of the estate in order to determine the optimum moment for harvesting each plot. The tasting of the grapes, corroborated by analysis, is decisive in defining the harvest date.

From one terroir to another

At Cigalus, the warm and sunny Mediterranean climate allows for advanced ripening of the grape varieties. The soil of Fontfroide — "cold springs" — a combination of sandstone and sand with draining properties and clay, benefits from an exceptional water retention capacity. To these essential terroir elements is added a third phenomenon: the winemaker. Gérard Bertrand began his experimental journey with biodynamics in viticulture at the domaine de Cigalus in 2002. The Demeter certification (Biodynamic Agriculture) in 2010, added to the AB certification (Organic Agriculture), marked the complete conversion of the estate.

From grape to wine

Once hand-harvested by Bertrand Boileau's team of grape pickers, the bunches are received at the winery by Laurent Monerris, the cellar master. After two hours of pneumatic pressing and a light settling, part of the juice enters new barrels, and the rest goes into vats for alcoholic fermentation. Once the malolactic fermentation is complete, the transfer into oak barrels will mark the beginning of the ageing process, with regular lees stirring, which will last until the spring equinox of 2022.

The Cigalus Blanc reveals the full essence of its Mediterranean terroir, combined with the excellence and consistency of biodynamic grape cultivation. The 2021 vintage will be the fruit of the precise work of a close-knit and passionate team.

To follow our harvests, estate by estate:

• Domaine de l'Aigle, at the crossroads of terroirs and climates
• Embracing the future... one plot at a time with biodynamics