Chateau Bellefont Belcier 2019
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James
Suckling -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Robert
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Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep garnet-purple in color. Sexy and floral character. Striking freshness to play off the rich, dark flavors. Polished tannins that adds to all the ripe red berries and licorice. Lingering earthiness and minerality to the finish.
Blend: 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
The Barrel Sample for this wine is under 14% ABV.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very attractive plum and cherry aromas with hints of flowers and wet earth, following through to a medium to full body with linear, polished tannins and a juicy finish. Juicy fruit to finish with some minerality and forest-flower undertones. A little tight, but very pure at the end. Drink after 2025.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A beautiful, elegant Saint-Emilion that will be loved by both modernists and traditionalists out there, the 2019 Château Bellefont-Belcier comes from a south-facing, limestone terroir just beside Château Pavie and Larcis Ducasse. A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it starts out reticent and understated yet builds beautifully with time in the glass and has wonderful cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with notes of truffle, tobacco, damp earth, and violets. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has silky tannins, perfect overall balance, and a great finish. It's not a powerhouse, but it shines for its purity, finesse, and elegance. Drink bottles over the coming 15-20 years or so. Best after 2022.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a beautifully situated hillside vineyard, sandwiched between Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteboeuf on either side, with holdings belonging to Pavie and Troplong Mondot on the plateau above, the 2019 Bellefont Belcier has turned out very well indeed. Offering up aromas of smoky berry fruit, loamy soil, subtle spices, black truffle and violets, it's full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with a vibrant, enveloping profile and a long, penetrating finish. This is a terrific effort, though given the thoughtful farming and program of replanting that is underway at this long-neglected estate, I suspect it only hints at what is to come as Jean-Christophe Meyrou and his team get to work. Best after 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
This rich wine offers dense layers of juicy black fruit alongside an accent of chocolate and dense tannins. It's concentrated and firm while still hinting at the vintage's freshness. There's good aging potential here.
Barrel Sample: 92-94
Other Vintages
2022-
James
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Dunnuck -
Robert
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Suckling - Decanter
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Wilfred
Wong -
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Suckling -
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Robert
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Since 1994, the vineyard and its outhouses have been considerably renovated with a view to raising the property to the status of the Great Classified Vintages of Saint-Émilion.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.