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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 88.9 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 13 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by ANWW89 on 8/2/2020 & rated 92 points: Medium bodied. Sweet berry fruit, cassis, touch of herb. Smooth tannins blended in. Smooth. Medium to long finish. Great spot now (1126 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 7/18/2018 & rated 89 points: Fully mature, medium bodied, earthy, red berry dominated charmer with a touch of herbs, tobacco and wet earth that rides along with the soft, cherry fruits. (3115 views) | | | Tasted by WineGuyX on 12/9/2017 & rated 88 points: This is perfectly delightful, old Bordeaux that would make a nice luncheon wine. Minty black currant and oak on the nose. Medium bodied and somewhat silky with almost enough grip for flank steak with pebre. Drink now while still fresh. 88 (1878 views) | | | Tasted by jswine15 on 10/18/2013 & rated 89 points: Nice tasting, a little past its prime (3946 views) | | | Tasted by OttawaB on 5/20/2012 & rated 87 points: Aroma smokey, blackberry, plush plum, licorice, earthiness, vanilla bean.
Nice mellowed flavours. Medium bodied. Still some nice berry fruit and plums. Tannins are mellow and soft. Nice decent length to the finish (dominated by cassis, a faint bit of nutmeg/cinnamon, and a touch of graphite). But a definite decline in acidity. While the wine was still tasty, it just seemed to lack that little bit of zest/zing/oooomph. Overall.... an 87 points. (4856 views) | | | Tasted by Machiavelli on 12/14/2011: Post-Exam's celebration. Loads of bell pepper at first but as it developed, smokey, sweet cassis fruit took off. Integrated palate, smooth, medium length. (4533 views) | | | Tasted by imcarthur on 9/14/2010 & rated 89 points: An enjoyable wine. (Stockyards in Nashville) Bright red with classic SE nose & taste. (4205 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 12/28/2009 & rated 85 points: Some spiciness in the bouquet. Red juicy fruits. Soft tannin. The wine is ready now with enough power for a few years more. (4290 views) | | | Tasted by sashley on 5/5/2008 & rated 86 points: V fine expression of Merlot--a little flashier than the Plaisance 98 that I enjoyed more. Oak a little too evident. (2934 views) | | | Tasted by AndrewSGHall on 1/11/2008: Really stinky nose with reptile house elements. Very tight with wood and some cherry. Hours in the decanter produced a better nose and a fuller wine. Nice body, a bit of spice. Marred for me by a sweetness and lack of acidity. (2472 views) | | | Tasted by ajr on 8/17/2005 & rated 89 points: medium body, nose ofspice, nice integrated tannins, still young but certainly drinkable and smooth. great food wine(beef tenderloin). wine getting bigger as the night lingers(2hrs.) will try again in 12-18 months. (3161 views) | | | Tasted by Machiavelli on 6/17/2005: Dinner for my birthyday at Cosmo's. Had sour cherry soup, and paired wine with their duck confit. Decanted about 1/2 hour, poor stems unfortunately. Mocha, rich typical French oak, spicy initially. Smokey cherries, a freshness to the fruit. Plum, violet, mint, menthol, a tad spirity nose but not on the palate. Some great currant/cassis comes out with swirling.
Acidity is high, tannins well-resolved, long finish, light-medium bodied. Elegant, light claret. Well-balanced, and drinking well. It does perhaps lack some concentration and convinction but it's great with the food. (3080 views) | | | Tasted by Double-A on 10/7/2003 & rated 95 points: Fruity, rounding nose of currants, cherries, earth, mushroom, coffee, chocolate and toast. Full with ripe fruit flavours and moderate tannins. Great replays; long, berry and vanilla finish.
5/5 (480 views) |
| Château Bellefont-Belcier Producer website
Chateau Bellefont Belcier is a Grand Cru Classe in the Saint Emilion AOC in the Bordeaux region of France. It is located on the Pavie Slopes south of the village of Saint Emilin. Since 2017, the property is owned by the Vignobles K Group, and is currently managed by Jean Christophe Meyrou, and Jerome Aguirre, who was previously at Chateau Le Gay and Chateau La Violette in Pomerol. It produces a majority merlot wine and produces approximately 80 000 bottles a year.
The property traces its origins to the 17th century. Its name is a combination of the word bellefont, short for belle fontaine (beautiful fountain) and its owner in the 18th century Count Louis Francois de Belcier.
As one of the oldest properties in Saint Emilion, it is often described as a belle endormie (sleeping beauty), with a very high potential given the quality of its terroir.
The property is located between Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteboeuf, and also borders with Pavie and Troplong Mondot.
Thomas Duclos is the consultant for the property.
The typical make-up of the cuvee is 70%Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Red Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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