2020 Château Belle-Vue
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Tasting notes
Cru bourgeois exceptionnel. Now Australian-owned, by Treasury. 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Carmenère. Deep gravel soils. Yield 40 hl/ha. Aged for 14–16 months in 30% new barrels. 75,000 bottles. Unusually high in Cabernet. Very deep purplish crimson – almost looks Australian! Sweet and round and obviously much-worked in the winery. Very different from its neighbours with acidity less notable and fruit and tannin more so. Big, beefy and a bit 20th century. A very distinctive style! (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The nose with its flowers, cherries and herbs gets things going. The palate is medium-bodied, with ample fruit, along with a strong, savory, herbal and chalky, green olive character in the finish. It is interesting to note that Belle-Vue is one of the few Bordeaux wines produced using 5 allowable grape varieties. Drink from 2024-2038.
Coming from a vineyard near Giscours, just south of Margaux, the 2020 Château Belle-Vue offers a medium-bodied, concentrated style as well as ample bright blue fruits (cassis, blueberries), graphite, and crushed stone-like nuances. It has building tannins, terrific purity, and is very much in the style of this great vintage. Give bottles just a few years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 8-10.
Bright currants, cherries and some currant leaf with baking spices and gravel to the nose. The medium- to full-bodied palate is tightly wound with dense, chalky tannins that will need some time to fully melt and integrate. A mineral drive in the finish. Drink from 2025.