Vignobles Berthier: Tasting & Drinking
The Berthier brothers make a number of attractive wines, but the first reason for checking out this domaine has to be the interesting collection of single-vineyard wines, especially those from the Coteaux du Giennois appellation. If you take a look across the vinous landscape of this appellation there are some domaines that use it to add a rather varietal entry-level wine to their portfolio, which is perhaps dominated by Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. And there are some domaines, more often those located in the appellation, that turn out substantial and flavoursome wines which do their best to combine delicious Sauvignon fruit character with more serious mineral and acid elements. I have to say I tend to prefer the latter to the former, for perhaps obvious reasons.
Here with Vignobles Berthier, however, we have a very different interpretation of the appellation. These are taut, tense, minerally and incisive wines, which seem to transcend the variety to speak solely of their terroir origins. These wines are to the Coteaux du Giennois appellation what those of Bertrand Minchin are to Menetou-Salon; they prove that, regardless of your viticultural philosophy and the appellation in which you are based, a dedicated vigneron can make great wines which translate terroir into a thing of beauty. And that has to be worth a few moments of your drinking time. (16/5/19, updated 16/11/24)
