CHÂTEAU BELLE-VUE | Haut-Médoc | Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel | 2019
merlot | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | cabernet franc | carmenère

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Today we are going to review a classic, ‘left bank‘ Bordeaux blend from the famous Médoc sub-region (to be more precise, from Haut-Médoc sub-region) of Bordeaux – Haut-Médoc Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel 2019 by Château Belle-Vue. This wine is a blend of all five famous Bordeaux grape varieties: 54% merlot (also known locally as merlot noir), 26% cabernet sauvignon, 18% petit verdot, 1% cabernet franc and 1% carmenère, where merlot forms the wine’s main body and adds up-front richness, cabernet sauvignon delivers more structure on the palate, petit verdot add more floral notes and tannin, as well as color depth, cabernet franc forms a more refined mid-palate and delivers local terroir notes to the forefront, while carmenère rounds up the final blend, delivering some much desired smoothness on the finish. Château Belle-Vue has been established in 1996 in the prestigious Haut-Médoc appellation on the left bank of Bordeaux, close to the famous Margaux appellation. The estate’s 14 hectares of vineyards are planted on gravely soils, that are typical for the Haut-Médoc appellation. The thirty-years-old vines are cultivated according to the principles of sustainable viticulture. This particular wine has been assigned the prestigious ‘Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel‘ status. The name of this distinction came from the bourgeois who were the inhabitants of the “village” of Bordeaux and who became the owners of the best lands of the region. In order to soften the tannins and add extra complexity to the final blend, this wine has been aged between 14 and 16 months in french oak barriques, from which 30% new oak. But enough with all that theory, that said and without further ado, let’s take a look at the wine tasting results.
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Take a look at the tasting notes below and our detailed assessment of the wine:

//Visual
colour: deep & opaque ruby color
clarity: hazy & noble ruby shades

//Olfactory
intensity: pronounced & savory
fruit profile: black fruits
__black fruits: black cherry | black plum | aronia berry | blackcurrant | blackberry
fruit character: ripe & overripe

//Flavor
non fruit: spice | oak | earth | savory | other
__spice: peppercorn | cloves | thyme
__oak: roasted oakwood | vanilla | tobacco | cigar box
__earth: graphite | granite | gravel | slate | forest floor | hints of truffles
__savory: old leather | iron | veal | barnyard | game | musk | horse saddle
__other: hints of violets
primary layer: savory & earthy

//Palate
sweetness: dry
acidity: medium+
alcohol: high
tannin: high
__grip: seedy
balance: good
__dominant: alcohol
body: rough | full body

//Taste
fruit profile: black fruits
fruit character: ripe & overripe
non fruit: spice | oak | earth
finish: medium
aftertaste: seedy-rough

//Scoring
CHÂTEAU BELLE-VUE | Haut-Médoc | Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel | 2019
variety: merlot | cabernet sauvignon | petit verdot | cabernet franc | carmenère
country: France
region: Bordeaux | Haut-Médoc
rating: 92.4

//Conclusion
maturity: developing | age for 3 to 5 more years
verdict: fine | highly recommended

//All Ratings
The critics’ rating distribution: 91

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This is definitely a fine wine of France and, with a total of 92.4 points scored, this wine is right there, among the best wines we’ve rated so far. Check our complete database on the wine rating page, where you can find all the wines that we have tasted and reviewed or go to the about us page and find out more about our exquisite rating system.

Verdict: this is a quite rough, seedy and slightly angular Bordeaux blend, with an austere yet firm palate and a nuanced savory accent on the nose. The wine is still in its development phase, therefore we would recommend to give it at least 3 to 5 more years of bottle ageing, in order to allow it to round up those sharp edges and settle down its austerity, as the potential is clearly there. On the nose the wine brings a mixture of ripe and overripe black fruits and nuanced savory notes in the foreground, followed by a spicy-earthy background and some noble oaky flavours in between. On the palate the wine delivers underwhelming acidity, seedy-rough tannins and a firm touch of alcoholic warmth that is showing through on the mouthfeel, which evolves into a seedy-rough aftertaste. All in all, this is a quite youthful Bordeaux wine, that will surely improve over time – a wine that in its current state lacks harmony and finesse on the palate. Judging by the wine’s structure and its angularity, we would recommend to pair it wine with slightly spicy meats with earthy accents, like for example a pan-seared filet mignon with garlic and herb butter or a peppercorn filet mignon steak. Santé!

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© The WineStatistics ratings are based solely on our own knowledge of the world of wine and on our personal wine tastes, which may, or may not, differ from yours – the reader. Just remember that there are no absolutes of right and wrong in wine appreciation.