Bergerac goes begging

Published: November 19, 2012

J'aime pas les ascenseurs, says the chap with the shades in the movie classic Diva. Well, I have the same problem with Bergerac. I don't like it and there is not much to do about that. Tonight we had a Bergerac. The chap that sold it to me also sold me the Carignan last week. And he defended Bergerac with a passion, saying it would be finer, nicer. The label "Les sens du fruit 2009" seemed convincing enough. And I read that this wine and year won “Discovery of the Year” award from Gault Millau foods.

But I know instinctively when I am buying a disappointing wine. And this was one of those times. I am sure the wine growers are genuine, and to be fair, they did avoid over-oaking and tried to keep the balance on the fruit side, which is what the Meaning of Fruit means. And I'm sure that Isabelle Carles and Franck Pascal work hard at their metier. Like Carignan, they emphasised red and dark fruits.

But unlike Carignan you had to look for it a bit too much, and fight off other flavours too. And then the tell-tale: crusted at the bottom of my glass, about half a spoon of sugar. Some people don't mind this, but I do. I suppose the chaptelisation was to give it strength and body. But it did nothing to change my mind, and even if fine wine people seem to like it, for me it's simple: I don't like Bergerac.

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