Very dark, lovely aroma & latent sweetness frankly put this btl over the top given I bought six in late 2012 for $10/btl, delivered. Shows that a good BDX producer will reward your patience.
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As a Sommelier, it’s interesting to read professional reviews. Something you need to keep up on for what consumers will be looking to buy.
As someone who attends a lot of tastings, you get to get to do your own comparisons. For me, a lot of Bordeaux. It’s my true love. I’ve been to Bordeaux eleven times. Two of them En Premiers.
When I tasted this so called critically difficult/bad vintage from Chateau Belle-Vue, I saw its potential and wasn’t wrong. Now, eleven years later, this wine is singing. While the critics haven’t tasted this wine as recently as this year, they would tell you this wine was average. It is anything but! If I put this wine in a blind tasting, I am confident many would call higher end Napa Cabernet and this is a Bordeaux producer from an ancillary region, under the radar known producer and a difficult vintage.
If I’ve learned anything about wine, it’s in all difficult vintages anywhere, there are producers who still make good wine. This one is magic for around $20 upon release. I’ve had $100 a bottle plus Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet that weren’t this good.
The nose shows, ripe, earthy fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, creamy raspberries on the glass edges, some blueberries & boysenberries and baked plum. Rich, forest floor, steeped black tea, used coffee grounds, limestone minerals, crushed, dry, rock powder, black licorice, hints of herbaceous notes, touch of mushroom, purple flowers, violets and faint lavender.
The body is full, round and lush. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious. The tannins are dark, round, soft, velvety and slightly tarry. Ripe, earthy fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, creamy raspberries on the glass edges, some blueberries & boysenberries and baked plum. Rich, forest floor, steeped black tea, used coffee grounds, tarry notes, limestone minerals, crushed, dry, rock powder, dry top soil & clay, black licorice, dark cocoa powder, cinnamon, dark spice, some vanilla, hints of herbaceous notes, touch of mushroom, graphite, burnt charcoal, suede leather, pipe tobacco, purple flowers, violets, dark red florals and faint lavender. The acidy round & beautiful. The finish is; ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well balanced between fruit & earth and persistent for minutes.
The well know professional critics would tell you this wine is old or late. I will tell you, from my storage, it’s has another 7-10 years of life ahead of it.
Have it with a good butchered Ribeye (not store bought) seasoned with coarse ground garlic salt & pepper.
We are fans of Belle-Vue and the '07 is a nice, solid year for this vineyard in an otherwise weak year for Bordeaux. Nice nose, dark with a nice balance of fruit and depth. Clearly well integrated at this point. We have two more bottles and will drink them over the next six months. Not as good as the '05 or '08, but solid choice at the price point. Enjoy now.
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WOW Too bad I only had one of these. SAD! When opening a great waft of super aroma. Solid red fruit. The taste was firm, and full bodied. Color great dark red.
Super finish. Low tannins.
So far my wine of the year
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No decanted, drinking well but more open after half hour. Medium to full bodied. Very nice Bordeaux style. Good balance of black fruits and tannin. I think it needs about one hour decant. Great value!!
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A great simple bottle of Bordeaux; touch of funk on the nose with layered flavors of cassis, berry, and vanilla. The acidity is substantial but not imbalanced. A serious bargain to be sure.
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Ruby red color. Nose of earthy forest floor, mushrooms and hints of vanilla. Red cherries and wood accents on the palate leading to a short to medium finish. Not a bad wine by any stretch and a pretty good value for the price. A weekday wine that I plan on consuming remaining bottles over next year or two.
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The Belle-Vue is a dark purple-ruby. Its composition is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot. Although the nose is slightly muted, with time come faint aromas of wild cherries, roasted herbs, lillies, and soiled straw. Rich, smooth, velvety mouthfeel. The blackfruits glisten on the palate, accompanied by kirsch and vanilla. Nice balance and integration. 13% abv. Extraordinary value! Drink or hold.
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Much nicer bottle than the 2006, but not quite in the class of the 2009. This was balanced in black fruit, tannin and acid, totally smooth and not overtly dense. The aromatics however was quite muted and tight. The taste was savory and delightful. Again for $10.50 (inc $2.00 shipping) this is a QPR bargain for everyday drinking with dinner in my books.
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Excellent, dark fruits and fresh. I currently prefer the 2007 over the well regarded 2006 Belle Vue ( which is more plummy) while the 2007 retains a great freshness. For a wine at this price tag, this is a big winner.
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Chalk it up to bottle variation, this was a terrific bottle of Bordeaux. Easily tasted like a $30+ wine, barnyard aromas giving away to pure, layered fruit, vanilla, and cassis. Smooth tannins, I'd hold for a couple of years.
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Blackberry and kirsch. Cereamy, but refreshing. Over the course of the last year this wine developed nicely and lost a lot of initial adstringency and acidity. What a waste thatI drunk already half the case since this wine is developing into a QPR beauty
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10/30/2021 - wurzel68 wrote: 86 Points
Paprika, Johannisbeere, vegetabile Noten, Pfeffer, Schokolade,am Gaumen wenig Komplexität, etwas grün und zehrend...
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7/5/2021 - BcDuncan Likes this wine: 89 Points
very smooth; good fruit even though kept a bit long, it was very good
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3/17/2021 - Jetjock Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very dark, lovely aroma & latent sweetness frankly put this btl over the top given I bought six in late 2012 for $10/btl, delivered. Shows that a good BDX producer will reward your patience.
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10/14/2020 - dke Likes this wine: 89 Points
Starts quite bitter but evolves on the second night into a very good acidity supported tart bordeaux.
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5/4/2020 - BcDuncan Likes this wine: 87 Points
good but not sensational, maybe I left it a bit long
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12/14/2018 - Somm David T Likes this wine: 92 Points
As a Sommelier, it’s interesting to read professional reviews. Something you need to keep up on for what consumers will be looking to buy.
As someone who attends a lot of tastings, you get to get to do your own comparisons. For me, a lot of Bordeaux. It’s my true love. I’ve been to Bordeaux eleven times. Two of them En Premiers.
When I tasted this so called critically difficult/bad vintage from Chateau Belle-Vue, I saw its potential and wasn’t wrong. Now, eleven years later, this wine is singing. While the critics haven’t tasted this wine as recently as this year, they would tell you this wine was average. It is anything but! If I put this wine in a blind tasting, I am confident many would call higher end Napa Cabernet and this is a Bordeaux producer from an ancillary region, under the radar known producer and a difficult vintage.
If I’ve learned anything about wine, it’s in all difficult vintages anywhere, there are producers who still make good wine. This one is magic for around $20 upon release. I’ve had $100 a bottle plus Bordeaux and Napa Cabernet that weren’t this good.
The nose shows, ripe, earthy fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, creamy raspberries on the glass edges, some blueberries & boysenberries and baked plum. Rich, forest floor, steeped black tea, used coffee grounds, limestone minerals, crushed, dry, rock powder, black licorice, hints of herbaceous notes, touch of mushroom, purple flowers, violets and faint lavender.
The body is full, round and lush. The structure, tension, length and balance are harmonious. The tannins are dark, round, soft, velvety and slightly tarry. Ripe, earthy fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, dark cherries, creamy raspberries on the glass edges, some blueberries & boysenberries and baked plum. Rich, forest floor, steeped black tea, used coffee grounds, tarry notes, limestone minerals, crushed, dry, rock powder, dry top soil & clay, black licorice, dark cocoa powder, cinnamon, dark spice, some vanilla, hints of herbaceous notes, touch of mushroom, graphite, burnt charcoal, suede leather, pipe tobacco, purple flowers, violets, dark red florals and faint lavender. The acidy round & beautiful. The finish is; ripe, ruby, lush, elegant, well balanced between fruit & earth and persistent for minutes.
The well know professional critics would tell you this wine is old or late. I will tell you, from my storage, it’s has another 7-10 years of life ahead of it.
Have it with a good butchered Ribeye (not store bought) seasoned with coarse ground garlic salt & pepper.
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10/4/2018 - hajoka wrote: 90 Points
Pop and pour. No decanting needed.
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7/19/2018 - Skibank114 Likes this wine: 89 Points
We are fans of Belle-Vue and the '07 is a nice, solid year for this vineyard in an otherwise weak year for Bordeaux. Nice nose, dark with a nice balance of fruit and depth. Clearly well integrated at this point. We have two more bottles and will drink them over the next six months. Not as good as the '05 or '08, but solid choice at the price point. Enjoy now.
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3/11/2017 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 88 Points
As before, a nice mixture of fruit and smoke/char.
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2/20/2017 - flwino wrote: 93 Points
WOW Too bad I only had one of these. SAD! When opening a great waft of super aroma. Solid red fruit. The taste was firm, and full bodied. Color great dark red.
Super finish. Low tannins.
So far my wine of the year
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4/30/2016 - Alvinho Likes this wine: 86 Points
Drank well with foundue at hansl...
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3/6/2016 - Khon Kaen Likes this wine: 89 Points
No decanted, drinking well but more open after half hour. Medium to full bodied. Very nice Bordeaux style. Good balance of black fruits and tannin. I think it needs about one hour decant. Great value!!
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11/16/2015 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Very similar to a bottle on 05/15/14: cassis/berry/vanilla but this had a nice roasted/charred edge to it. What a bargain.
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9/30/2015 - ebpayne wrote: 87 Points
Classic Brdx: cassis, cedar, herb, a bit of nice funk. Damn fine $10 wine
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12/25/2014 - euroyup wrote: 87 Points
Nice herbal note. No further formal notes. 87-88.
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5/15/2014 - Racer117 Likes this wine: 88 Points
A great simple bottle of Bordeaux; touch of funk on the nose with layered flavors of cassis, berry, and vanilla. The acidity is substantial but not imbalanced. A serious bargain to be sure.
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7/20/2013 - buffyst Likes this wine: 90 Points
Even better than I remember it. [See note from 01/10/2013]
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7/16/2013 - Tracypyo wrote: 86 Points
Smooth but not complex at all.
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4/5/2013 - Tracypyo wrote: 88 Points
Ruby red color. Nose of earthy forest floor, mushrooms and hints of vanilla. Red cherries and wood accents on the palate leading to a short to medium finish. Not a bad wine by any stretch and a pretty good value for the price. A weekday wine that I plan on consuming remaining bottles over next year or two.
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3/15/2013 - alhun Likes this wine: 90 Points
value for money.
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2/9/2013 - Tsubasa wrote: 87 Points
Dry wine, nose is ver subtle. Some nutty and earthy flavor. Expecting something better, a bit disappointed.
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1/10/2013 - buffyst Likes this wine: 89 Points
The Belle-Vue is a dark purple-ruby. Its composition is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot. Although the nose is slightly muted, with time come faint aromas of wild cherries, roasted herbs, lillies, and soiled straw. Rich, smooth, velvety mouthfeel. The blackfruits glisten on the palate, accompanied by kirsch and vanilla. Nice balance and integration. 13% abv. Extraordinary value! Drink or hold.
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12/22/2012 - JustDrinkIt Likes this wine: 88 Points
PnP
Much nicer bottle than the 2006, but not quite in the class of the 2009. This was balanced in black fruit, tannin and acid, totally smooth and not overtly dense. The aromatics however was quite muted and tight. The taste was savory and delightful. Again for $10.50 (inc $2.00 shipping) this is a QPR bargain for everyday drinking with dinner in my books.
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3/11/2012 - edub7 wrote: 90 Points
Excellent, dark fruits and fresh. I currently prefer the 2007 over the well regarded 2006 Belle Vue ( which is more plummy) while the 2007 retains a great freshness. For a wine at this price tag, this is a big winner.
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2/28/2012 - oakland.cory wrote: 90 Points
Chalk it up to bottle variation, this was a terrific bottle of Bordeaux. Easily tasted like a $30+ wine, barnyard aromas giving away to pure, layered fruit, vanilla, and cassis. Smooth tannins, I'd hold for a couple of years.
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9/5/2011 - Tsubasa wrote: 89 Points
Nice Bordeaux, it's a classic Bordeaux style wine. Great black fruits, nice tannic, very appealing to the palette. Will buy more.
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3/6/2011 - hushilden wrote: 89 Points
Blackberry and kirsch. Cereamy, but refreshing. Over the course of the last year this wine developed nicely and lost a lot of initial adstringency and acidity. What a waste thatI drunk already half the case since this wine is developing into a QPR beauty
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