Gerard Bertrand, Merlot Reserve Speciale, Languedoc

PnD let air for 2hrs. A lot more structure and a bit less fruit than I was expecting. Not bad but not a great value.

Deep garnet with crimson purple hues. It has aromas of dark plum, cherry, earth and hints of spice and licorice. Good palate weight on entry but soft texture and showing nuances of black plum, black cherry, berry fruits and licorice. Some earthy notes and medium acidity on palte. Soft velvety tannins and medium spicy finish. This is the wine to enjoy young with its simple, fruit forward and approachable character. Not a rustic and tannic wine I was expecting.

Agree with previous review but will give a notch higher on points. An unexpected gem. For price double yum and a third. Really quite impressive.

Plum, black cherry, licorice, smoke, hint of vanilla on the nose. Medium acidity, medium plus body. The tannins are there, but unlike most Carignan from the region, they are not green at all. Tactile and ripe. Medium plus finish. Not a vin de garde for sure as it lacks a bit complexity, but delicious nonetheless. Good price/quality ratio.

light red with orange hues in the color. cherry, berry, smoke, earth on the nose. strawberry, cherry, smoke, forest floor on the palate.

Drank it over five days. Started out reasonably boring, with quite little flavour. On the last day it had a lot more flavour, but still not much complexity. It'll do, but not for £10. Best let it breathe for a while before drinking.

Very strong strawberry note with little to no finish. The "reserve" label can't hide the fact that it's a $13 bottle.