2017 Belgrave
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Slightly reductive – raw cherry skins and fresh plum fruit underneath. Medium weight and compact with slightly tart acidity diminishing the fruit intensity. Somewhat brittle. (TP)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Belgrave comes across as wild and gamy. Iron, graphite, incense, tobacco and inky dark fruit give the 2017 a distinctly feral personality. That impression is further enhanced by big, rustic tannins. I liked this a bit more from barrel.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, 2017 Belgrave reveals notes of warm cassis, baked black cherries and preserved plums plus suggestions of garrigue and charcoal. Medium-bodied, the palate is a little thin and edgy with chewy tannins and crisp acid defining the finish.
88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot. Introvert and concentrated on the nose. Very dry and savoury. Definitely not flattering! Perhaps a little more extraction than suited the vintage? Still pretty drying and tannic on the end. Rather severe and bitter. (JR)
About the producer
With deep gravel soils and lying just across a stream from Saint-Julien, this Fifth Growth has been managed by the négociant Dourthe since 1979 – bringing expertise that has helped deliver on the site’s potential.