Château Bellevue 2020

A full-bodied, firm and intense red with blackcurrants, toasted walnuts, violets, smoked paprika and dried herbs on the nose. Sturdy frame from firm yet polished tannins. Powerful and wonderfully integrated. Better from 2026.

Supple, sensuous and fresh, there is a vibrancy and purity to the fruits that makes you want to pay attention. Full-bodied, rich and generous, the wine feels as good as it tastes. The fruits linger and expand on your palate through to the finish. This is in contention for the best vintage of Chateau Bellevue I have ever tasted. It is so good now, it is impossible to resist. But it is only going to get better with age. The wine is produced from 100% old vine Merlot. Drink from 2025-2050.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, opaque core, brightening on the rim. Inviting sweet berry fruit, ripe cherries and fresh figs, hints of coconut, cloves and vanilla, a little nougat in the background and a hint of fine oak. Juicy and deep with sweet cherries, fine tannins, mineral, good freshness. Salty on the finish, with a hint of nougat; a recommended food companion with certain ageing potential.

Deep purple with a black core and a delicate violet rim. Concentrated bouquet of wild cherry, dried rosemary and liquorice, with Brazilian tobacco and Sichuan pepper in the background. On the multilayered palate, silky texture, cocoa-like tannin structure, captivating extract richness and a tightly woven tannin frame. In the straight, very long finish, black-berry contours, dark fine wood and plenty of graphite. Modern luxury powerhouse. TOP!

Kunz barrel sample 2021: dense, velvety, powerful bouquet, strawberry jam, pralines, liquorice, raspberry yogurt. Creamy, full, finely opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, fine tannins, creamy structure, intense aromatics, long, delicately bitter finish.

Good stuff, a lovely wine with powerful but supple tannic architecture. As is so often the case with Bellevue, it reveals a delicate, floral, almost austere side of Merlot that is atypical for the grape but a perfect reflection of the cool 6.82ha clay-limestone slopes – think blueberries and slate, unshowy but with staying power. Owned by the de Bouard family and the de Lavau family. Benjamin de Laforest, winemaker. Interestingly, the family chose to keep this wine within the Saint‑Émilion ranking, so it remains Grand Cru Classé, unlike sibling estate Château Angélus. Yield of 33 hl/ha.

93-94

Exquisite attack marked by charm and smoothness, then the tannins take charge, aiming to dominate, before finally yielding—polished and courteous—letting the fruit lead. Mineral finish, slightly saline.

2020 asserts itself from the outset. It combines power and terroir on the nose. Can power really be perceived with the nose? Let’s say it is, at any rate, the depth that emerges. With aeration, the terroir takes the lead, showing a chalky edge, and truffle notes also come into play. So we can be reassured: truffle notes are not necessarily a sign of evolution. At Bellevue, it’s simply part of its identity. On the palate, the wine shines with harmony, a suave character and creamy tannins. They are broad, compact, supportive and then austere, which bodes well in such a broad context. The 2020 probably has what it takes to rival 2016 as one of Bellevue’s great successes, but time will tell.

Dark, intense, youthful color. Very aromatic nose with ripe, subtle fruit. Hint of vanilla. The palate unfolds with subtle tannic support, a fragrant body and plenty of flavor. Slightly oaky finish without hardness. Fine grain. Long and aromatic.

Bellevue expresses the identity of its cool terroir with a combination of concentration and elegance, a deep nose, notes of wild blackberry and blackcurrant bud. The same distinction is found on the palate, with a very ripe, intense, even muscular profile, briskly lifted by a lovely limestone backbone that refreshes the mouth and tingles the taste buds.

Ripe and juicy, this stops short of being sweet, but there is a jammy, confected element to it – blackcurrant and plum fruit with lovely cooling minty, fresh aspects that lift the palate. Succulent and mouthwatering, this has lots of life and is well presented, but it's not wholly integrated just yet, with the acidity and the oak spicing sticking out a little against the ripe fruit – not totally harmonious yet, but it has promise.

Lovely elegant, racy, precise nose offering a beautiful aromatic palette, fine power and a certain intensity. A fine, discreetly tight grain. We find notes of Boysen blackberry, licorice stick and, more slightly, roasted small fruits, with touches of racy minerality, saffron (on its floral side), discreet hints of cornflower and Madagascar pepper, as well as a subtle hint of camphor, menthol, and an imperceptible varietal note (adds pep!). The palate is beautifully driven, full of sapidity, with tension, lovely freshness, accuracy, a charming tang and fine balance. An airy feel within its modest richness/creaminess, in the balance. On the palate, this wine conveys notes of juicy/bright blackberry, pulpy/fresh raspberry and, more slightly, racy minerality, with touches of chocolate/mocha, hints of fresh blue fruits, fine touches of toasted hazelnut, as well as a subtle hint of fresh sap, licorice and fresh pepper. The tannins are elegant, gourmand and straight. Good length.