2020 Belle Vue (Haut Medoc)
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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)
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Average Score
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.