Château Belle-Brise

About the producer

Tucked away in Pomerol’s southwest corner, Château Belle-Brise is the ultimate insider’s Bordeaux and we are very excited that their wines are exclusive to FINE+RARE in the UK. With just a two hectare walled garden vineyard, the production is minuscule, making it one of the rarest wines in the marketplace and arguably more exclusive than either Pétrus or Le Pin.

Henri-Bruno de Coincy bought the property in 1991. He is the 20th generation of the Armagnac-making Coincy family, who have been producing Armagnac for an incredible 700+ years. Wine has been made at Château Belle-Brise since the eighteenth century, but before 1991 it was only made available to family and friends of the winemaker.

In the vineyard

Stylistically this artisan Pomerol is silky and opulent, but with a finesse and almost weightless power more akin to Grand Cru Burgundy. The vineyard contains a split of around 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, and old vines of up to 70 years old. The soil has gravel on the surface and beneath, a layer of clay, chalk and crasse de fer. The wines are made using biodynamic and organic principles, and employing horses to work the vines.

Pomerol is one of the great red wine appellations of Bordeaux. Historically it stands apart from other Bordeaux appellations as Pomerol has no formalised wine classification system unlike Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Saint-Émilion. While the appellation was barely acknowledged until about 50 years ago, wines like Pétrus, Le Pin and Lafleur now command higher prices than many Cru Classé properties throughout the Médoc,

In the winery

Despite its cult following, you may be surprised by the lack of reviews from critics. Owner and winemaker Henri-Bruno de Coincy refuses to allow the critics to review his wines and has actually asked the likes of The Wine Advocate and Vinous to remove old write-ups. However if you dig deep enough, there are a few intriguing mentions that demonstrate the buzz surrounding this little-known producer. The style is simply sublime. The unique terroir and vinification methods result in a wine that delivers a sense of finesse and controlled power more common in the great Grand Crus of Burgundy and more specifically Musigny. As Jancis Robinson puts it “Château Belle-Brise release just a handful of bottles each vintage. At just 2 hectares in size and with similar production levels to Château Le Pin, it is so elusive it is basically unknown to the general public. Within the upper echelons of the world’s greatest restaurants though, the wines have an intense, nearly obsessive following."

About the producer