Château Bellegrave, Pomerol
Château Bellegrave, Pomerol

Château Bellegrave, Pomerol

Bordeaux, France 2010 (750mL)
Regular price$65.00
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Château Bellegrave, Pomerol

You may notice there isn’t much Pomerol coming in and out of our doors, but that’s not for a lack of adoration; rather, it’s an issue of affordability. This tiny Right Bank region is home to some of the world’s most expensive and sought-after wines. It could be argued that Pomerol contains Bordeaux’s greatest concentration of prestige chateaux, so when we discover a small property hand-crafting wine that echoes cult classics (Le Pin, Petrus, Lafleur) without the associated price, we pounce.
Château Bellegrave is a family-scale operation with limited vineyard holdings that have always been worked by hand. Their farming mindset is also duplicated in the winery: by letting the purity of fruit to shine through nature. The resulting wine is polished and lushly textured with a resounding earth-driven finish; its profundity far exceeds the price tag (which is modest for Pomerol). Eric Asimov of the New York Times agrees, saying Château Bellegrave is absolutely worth seeking out if you’re looking for value in Pomerol. Additionally, 2010 was a historically successful vintage for the region and now with 5+ years of bottle age, this bottle is a force to be reckoned with. I’ll end with this: The chance to taste premier Pomerol that performs like its triple-digit neighbors is a rare occurrence. If you’re curious about the upper echelons of Bordeaux, this is your muse. We bought all we could, but quantity is still severely limited—only three per person today.

Upon purchasing of Château Bellegrave in 1951, Jean Bouldy became the first winemaking generation of his family—with Pomerol’s extremely limited vineyard real estate, wine is the only viable occupation for those that live here! A lover of terroir, Jean was a firm believer in farming naturally, so while everyone else sought convenience, he continued eschewing chemicals and farming by hand. After three decades of work, he turned the operations over to his son, Jean-Marie, in 1980. Jean-Marie still runs the estate today, with his own son, Jean-Baptiste, now next in line. The modern era of the property has seen even stricter organic regulation: Château Bellegrave completed their organic certification in 2012 and now they are eyeing biodynamics. Here’s what Jean-Marie has to say about farming his vines with organic care: 

“We have rediscovered the dialogue with nature; organic farming is not magic, but agronomy. It is fueled by a science, techniques intimately linked to the functioning of nature as a whole; the plant, the soil, the climate, the seasons, the moon, the biodiversity of the flora and fauna. Each element plays its role. All those involved in our vineyard for the various works can touch the vine, breathe the air without fear. Hares are at home here, birds hide their nests under Merlot leaves, wildflowers have settled between the rows, insects come foraging. Plants, animals, and humans live in harmony. The return of the wild world is a sign of health, it is necessary to keep it in balance so that the vines live.”

Jean-Marie’s vines range from 35-60 years of age and are rooted in iron-rich clay and sand soils. As mentioned, all chemicals and synthetics are strictly avoided. In 2010, they hand-harvested all 20 acres—planted to 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc (reflected in the final blend)—over the course of two weeks. Fermentation by way of indigenous yeasts lasted for three weeks in concrete and stainless steel tanks. Then, the wine aged approximately 22 months in both new (33%) and used French oak.

In the glass, 2010 Château Bellegrave reveals an opaque garnet core with only slight bricking on the rim. The nose shows off a complex array of fruit, florals, and spice: red currant, dried black plum, blueberry liqueur, red and purple flowers, cacao, cigar box, damp mushroom, anise, wet rock, dried herbs, and an integrated mix of baking spices. Serious weight and concentration is visible in the glass, and thick tears confirm what you should expect on the palate: a luxurious Bordeaux brimming with immense vigor and richness. This fills your mouth and refuses to vacate—it’s perfectly extracted and dense, yet there is an underlying suppleness that keeps it from entering “bogged-down” territory. Tannins are rounded and silky, and the fresh finish magically conceals the 14.5% alcohol. At eight years of age, Château Bellegrave is still preserving a great deal of structure. It will be beautiful to drink over the next 10+ years, but it has already started entering its prime drinking window. When consuming, I recommend a 30-60 minute decant before serving in your largest Bordeaux stems at 65 degrees. Pair next to a hearty entrecôte à la Bordelaise and you’re practically in Bordeaux. Cheers!
Château Bellegrave, Pomerol
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France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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