Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre blends (GSM) are full-bodied, full of flavour, and please people that enjoy big, hearty red wines. This blend of grapes also makes the famous red Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines. I have two GSM wines from Gérard Bertrand from the Languedoc region in the south of France to review for you:
- Gérard Bertrand Terroir Corbieres, 2017
- Gérard Bertrand Gran Terroir Les Aspres 2017
What does each of these three grapes provide to a GSM blend?
Grenache – typically offers red berries and light peppery flavours, is lower in tannins, and higher in alcohol.
Syrah – this grape variety offers different aromas and flavours based on temperature and growing season. In general, you would get a full-bodied wine with blackberries, black pepper, and possibly some meaty flavours. With higher temperatures, the fruit flavours get more jammy.
Mourvedre – is fuller-bodied, and offers dark fruits, violets, gamey or earthy notes, black pepper, other herbs, and high tannins (which are good to help give wine structure)
As I mentioned in my earlier article on the Gérard Bertrand Terroir St Chinian, 2016, wine, these wines are also biodynamic.
My Wine Tasting Notes
Gérard Bertrand Terroir Corbieres, 2017 (BC $19.99)
The Corbieres stretch from the Mediterranean Sea to the foothills of the Pyrenees and have a variety of geological and climatic conditions.
Appearance: Medium-plus intensity garnet with a touch of ruby. About 70% opaque, but clear to the core. Tears on the glass with swirling.
Nose: Medium intensity that offers sweet spices ripe black fruits, syrupy red fruits, ripe raspberries, smoke and cinnamon aromas. With decanting the aromas were plums, smoke, cinnamon and syrupy red fruit (in a good way).
Palate: This wine is dry, but lighter bodied and semi-round upon opening. It does feel thicker with swirling. Medium-plus intensity black fruits, raspberries, and blackberries flavours primarily, together with lighter oak, stony minerality, and a touch of floral. Light fine tannins. After some decanting time, the wine felt lighter-bodied again to start. Black fruits, sweet spices and black pepper to start followed by raspberries on the mid-palate, and some minerality.
Finish: A medium-length, finishing with ripe blackberries, quite peppery, light tannins, some dusty stoniness, and a touch of sweet spices. This wine was less peppery with decanting, had a mix of red and black fruits, and some smokiness.
This wine is very tasty regardless of if it is decanted or not. Enjoy with a pizza, charcuterie, burgers, or other grilled meats.
Rating: 
A more restrained wine that has mainly ripe black fruit aromas, along with cinnamon and syrupy red fruits. Lighter bodied but then gets bigger and rounder with swirling. Black fruits, blackberries, some raspberries and touches of floral and mineral.
Gérard Bertrand Gran Terroir Les Aspres 2017 (BC $26.99. On sale $23.99 till March 31/21)
Les Aspres is a vintage of excellence from the Cotes de Roussillon. Aspres means arid in Catalan (from NE Spain), which is characteristic of this sunny terroir surrounded by scrubland and Alzina trees (which are a type of oak).
Appearance: An almost opaque garnet with a ruby tinge from the core to the rim. Tears on the glass with swirling.
Nose: A lighter intensity nose that has fleeting vanilla, baby powder, and jasmine incense aromas that fade, together with plums, ripe black fruit, liquorice, and a touch of sweet spices. With decanting I again detected a touch of baby powder, along with floral, ripe black fruit and red fruit aromas.
Palate: This wine is slightly off-dry, full-bodied, very round, plush, mouth-filling. It is quite mineral. Blackberries and other black fruits, and floral to start, then add in raspberries, red cherries, pepperiness and sweet spices. Medium intensity, fine-grained tannins. The big, plush, round mouthfeel continues with decanting along with the same flavours. This wine has persistence.
Finish: A medium plus length finishing with red cherries and a touch of black fruit, medium pepperiness, and a touch of sweet red fruits. Light tannins that get stronger after swirling your wine in the glass a bit. The only difference I determined on the finish with decanting is that the pepperiness became a little lighter. Overall excellent quality!
As mentioned, this wine has persistence in aromas and flavours, so no need to decant, but also no need to worry about saving some wine for the next day. Enjoy this rich, plush wine, with rich dishes such as a stew, but will also work with a nice grilled steak or kebab.
Rating: – 
A big, delicious wine with ripe black fruits and plum aromas. It is full-bodied, mouth-filling, round and plush. Floral, blackberries and black fruit along with raspberries and red cherries flavours.
Where Can I Buy These Wines?
These two wines are available at BC Liquor stores. Everything Wine carries the Corbieres wine. These wines may be available at other private wine stores, but you need to ask.
