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Wine Description
The Story
Taking the reins of the château in 2000, Nicolas Thienpont, with expert advice from Stéphane Derenoncourt, launched a programme of renovation work to improve the natural drainage of the soil, replanting certain plots of the vineyard and introducing new biodynamic vine-tending techniques to complement the estate’s traditional working methods.
In this same spirit of constantly striving for perfection, the winemaking team from Château Angelus now supervises all work in the vineyard and in the winery.
Bordering on the highest point of the famous Saint-Emilion limestone plateau (75m), the vines of Château Bellevue are spread over around 7 hectares of south and south-west facing slopes, nestled side by side with the Premiers Grands Crus Classés.
They are rooted in a varied terroir that reflects the geological evolution of the region, with a clay-limestone subsoil which becomes progressively richer in limestone towards the top of the hill.
98 % Merlot, 2 % Cabernet Franc
Tasting Notes : A blend of floral and spicy notes in the bouquet. A powerful character: full-bodied, elegant and consistent. Great volume and presence on the palate. Tightly-structured tannins give way to rich, warm notes.
Food-wine pairings : meats in rich sauces, game birds, lamb , cheese.
Vintage 2020
In Bordeaux, the heat resulted in early flowering. Also, this led to an early harvest after a very hot summer. As a starting point, there is great maturity in the grapes, and one can expect a more opulent vintage than in the last few years.
The summer this year has been the warmest since 1959, yet the rain has fallen at the right times during the growing season. The harvest took place two weeks before the norm and will yield grapes with high potential alcohol and the lowest acidity since the 2003 vintage. As they say in Bordeaux: "It has been a good and extreme growing season which hopefully also produces great wines".