Vestige de Bijou Chardonnay 2023 Wins Gold

Our Vestige de Bijou Chardonnay 2023 has been awarded a Gold Medal at the Berliner Wine Trophy Winter Tasting – one of the world’s most respected wine competitions.

Over four days, 155 international jurors tasted more than 6,300 wines, awarding medals to only the top 30% in each category under the strict standards of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) and Union Internationale des Œnologues (UIOE), with results verified under notarial supervision, a true mark of quality.

Vestige is the culmination of Bijou’s pursuit of excellence in the Haute Vallée de l’Aude, a high-altitude enclave framed by the snowcapped Pyrenees. The vineyards here benefit from diverse climatic influences and exceptional soils, including limestone clay formed over millennia through erosion of the Pyrenean range. These terroirs lend precision, minerality, and structure to the wines, offering the hallmarks of great Chardonnay with a distinctly Southern soul.

Temperatures in this remote corner of AOP Limoux average three degrees cooler than in Narbonne, enabling long, gentle ripening and preserving natural acidity. Since 2023, Bijou has introduced green harvesting to the older Chardonnay vines – removing canopy in late June to expose bunches to cooler morning light while shielding them during peak heat. This encourages even ripening, protects against sunburn, and improves airflow to reduce disease pressure in increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.

Produced in strictly limited quantities of just 1,200 bottles, this premium micro-cuvée shows why Chardonnay from Languedoc deserves serious attention on the global stage.

Explore this award-winning micro-cuvée here.