2018 Château Belle-Vue
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A name to return to again and again in the Haut-Médoc, delivering confident, sleek wines that in 2018 showcase cassis and blackberry fruits with plenty of muscular tannins and rosemary spice. The tannins remain pretty chunky at 3 years old, but with a few hours in a carafe start to open up and let the fruit out. As things really relax you get espresso, chocolate and grilled oak. 51hl/h yield, deep gravel soils, 30% new oak. Vineyard located in Macau, just to the south of Margaux. Harvest September 26 to October 17 - and this is the first vintage with both Carmanère and Cabernet Franc in the blend alongside the estates three usual varieties.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
James Lawther MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
The melange of flowers, spice-box, cherries, wet earth and cocoa smells just great. On the palate, things get even better with all the sweet, fresh, energetic, juicy, ripe, soft, textured, red fruits, spice and herbs in the finish. One of the few Bordeaux produced using all 5 allowable grape varieties, the wine was made blending 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carmenere.
Another great estate that consistently produces an impressive wine, the 2018 Château Belle-Vue is 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot (this estate likes Petit Verdot), and the balance Cabernet Franc and Carménère. Possessing a beautiful elegance and purity, it's medium-bodied, with a great core of cassis and black raspberry fruits as well as loads of floral nuances. Silky, beautifully balanced, and layered, it's another 2018 that has a cool climate-like style in its aromatics yet has a solid core of sweet fruit. I suspect it's the finest vintage I've tasted from this domaine (the 2016 is in the same realm), and it's going to evolve for 15+ years.
A blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Carménère, aged for approximately 14 months in oak, 30% new, the 2018 Belle-Vue reveals pretty notions of crushed blackberries, mulberries and boysenberries, plus suggestions of underbrush, ground cloves and menthol. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled and refreshing, delivering bags of crunchy black fruits and a soft texture, finishing with a minty kick. It has 14% alcohol.