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Chateau Bellevue

Chateau Bellevue has a long history which reaches back to at least the 17th Century, when the Fief de Bellevue was the seat of the Lacaze family. They were associated with the property as long ago as 1642, only relinquishing their ownership in 1938. Since that time the estate has been under the aegis of the de Conink and Pradel de Lavaux families, although its true renaissance has been a much more recent affair. This began in 2000 with the involvement of Stéphane Derenoncourt and Nicolas Thienpont, a formidable duo who brought a track record of success that bode well for the estate. They were contracted to take control of the vineyards and cellars, and the effects of their leadership were tangible; since the 2000 vintage the wines of Bellevue have been on a roll. Even with the sale of a 50% stake in the business to Hubert de Boüard de Laforest there is optimism that this good work will continue today. The acquisition by Hubert reputedly realises - in part at least - an aspiration of his grandfather Maurice to take ownership of the property when it was first sold in 1938. And so today the estate is under the same ownership as Angélus, held jointly with the de Lavaux family.

Chateau Bellevue The vineyard is situated at the heart of the St Emilion appellation, on the slopes of the limestone plateau that features so strongly in any account of the region, just to the west of the town. The vines themselves, which are being replanted at a density of 7500 vines/ha, are surrounded by those of illustrious neighbours, includingtyhe aforementioned Angélus, Beauséjour and nearby Beau-Séjour Bécot. There are just over 6.2 hectares altogether, with the south/southwest-facing slopes dominated by Merlot (80%) with Cabernet Franc (20%) vines bringing up the rear. Indeed, this ratio often makes it through to the final wine, although occasionally Merlot is much more dominant in the blend. The soils are dominated by clay towards the top of the slope, with some limestone here, but towards the foot of the slope there is less limestone, more sand. The drainage is good, thanks to field drains installed under the direction of Thienpont and Derenoncourt . The vines have about 40 years behind them, and the work in the vineyard follows the biodynamic teachings of Rudolf Steiner. They have been enriched with organic composts, ploughed and co-planted with cereals to reduce soil compaction and improve quality.

The yields are tightly controlled through pruning, canopy management and two green harvests, and although they obviously vary somewhat from vintage to vintage a figure in the region of 30 to 35 hl/ha is typical. Ripening is encouraged by leaf-thinning, and at harvest time the fruit is picked by hand into small bins, then passed over four sorting tables and then 100% destemming, before the whole, uncrushed grapes are fed into the fermentation vats by gravity. The vats are concrete and are thermoregulated, and half are equipped to facilitate punching down, whereas there is pumping over in others. The fermentation is by indigenous yeasts, and once finished the wine is run into barrels of which 70% are new each year, with the remaining 30% one year-old. Here the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation followed by regular bâtonnage, with just two rackings, once 6-10 months after the harvest, the second just before bottling, so there is a strong emphasis on lees-contact here. After 16-20 months years in oak the wine is bottled.

Considering Bellevue's recent history, and the famous names now associated with the estate, it may seem surprising to learn that here we have one of the many casualties of the St Emilion 2006 classification fiasco. This ill-fated review of the ranking system, which has been followed by years of legal wranglings, was based on tastings of ten vintages, starting with 1993 and ending with 2002. Most of the good work in recent years at bellevue concerned ineligible vintages, and Bellevue was demoted based essentially on the wines of the pre-Thienpont/Derenoncourt era. With the collapse of this new ranking, which had nothing to do with Bellevue but was the result of legal action brought by other demoted proprietors, this change was reversed, and Bellevue held onto its ranking as a Grand Cru Classé. Any future review - if this should ever happen, which is questionable considering the recent disaster - is perhaps more likely to be judging Bellevue for possible promotion rather than demotion.

My own opinion of the wines can sadly not make any comparison between the wines of the current era and the last one; my tasting experience only takes in very recent vintages. The wines are indeed good, but I find they follow the current tendency in St Emilion to heavy extraction, with the 2005 vintage a particular culprit. Other critics have raved about the wine, but taste is personal; for young Bordeaux to have any potential it must have a good tannic structure, but when the tannins domineer in the way that these do I have to question the balance of the wine. For some, huge tannins and hedonistic texture is everything, and I suspect if this is your thing then Bellevue could be a good buy. But if balance, elegance and freshness are more important these wines, despite their being of unquestionably good quality, may not be so high on your shopping list. (8/10/08)

Contact details:
Address: 33330 St Emilion
Telephone: + 33 (0)5 57 24 74 23
Fax: + 33 (0)5 57 24 63 78
Internet: www.bellevue-grandcru.com

Chateau Bellevue - Tasting Notes

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2007

Chateau Bellevue (St Emilion) 2007: This wine has some rich sweet oak aromas, with some super-ripe almost blue-black fruit. Although there is richness there is also purity, and in fact there is a pretty, elegant poise to it on the palate. Good firm tannins, quite fleshy and flattering, but with a good balance despite there being quite some grip towards the end. I think this is very attractive. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2008)

2005

Chateau Bellevue (St Emilion) 2005: This is very different to the 2004, tasted alongside. here there is an exuberant fruit nose, showing lots of sweet berry character. The palate flatters with a wealth of texture, but then quickly reveals a large amount of extract too. Where most 2005s cover the tannins very nicely, this struggles slightly. Lots of huge, chewy tannins persisting through to the finish. I feel this is close to having been pushed too far in terms of extraction. It will be difficult to predict how this one will fare in the cellar. 16.5+?/20 (February 2008)

2003

Chateau Bellevue (St Emilion) 2004: This has a very dark hue, and is showing dense fruit and oak on the nose. Attractive, black fruit and raspberry character. On the palate the flavours are well defined, with grip and acid nicely covered by a soft texture. Lots of structure showing towards the end of the palate, very firm, with a lot of residual tannin lingering on the finish. Rather hard here, showing lots of extract, overall rather on the edge for me. Nevertheless it is not totally out of balance, and may come very good with time in the cellar. 17+/20 (February 2008)