Château de Bellevue

Update 27.2.2019(12.7.2016)billn

DSC00161Tasted in the Château Bellevue with Claire Forestier, 25 April 2016.

Château de Bellevue
Lieu-dit Bellevue
69910 Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 4 74 66 98 88
www.chateau-bellevue.fr/

Here is another from Maison Jean Loron’s portfolio of domaines and home of the special tasting of older Beaujolais I made in December last year.

There are vines in grounds of Château Bellevue – behind the château – “The climat is actually Corcelettes says Claire “but it’s labelled Morgon Les Clos. The vines are more than 70 years old, and sit mostly granite, but not pink granite like Fleurie, it’s a different composition. We also have 6 hectares in Morgon Les Charmes which is on some sandstone – this was 10,000 vines per hectare but then we added fixed wires, trying to train the vines for ploughing.

“Our viticulture is raisonnée; on sandy soils the viticulture is different but here it’s relatively flat so we have no problem to plough. The château was bought in 2009, there were other vineyards bought in 2000 (Fleurie and Moulin à Vent) without wine-making facilities – they are all here now. The current cuverie was previously a wine-making facility but was empty when the château was bought – all the equipment was designed for red wine, with a mix of cement, wood and stainless-steel – but all temperature controlled. We also started making the Hospices de Moulin à Vent cuvée here in 2013, when the old metayeur retired.”

The Morgons and Moulin à Vent see a high amount of destemming – with submerged cap fermentation – i.e. using a grill to stop the solid material from rising to the top and drying out. Usually, parts of the lots see barrel elevage, typically older barrels, ex-Pouilly but with very few new barrels – it’s only some small lots that see all wood.

The wines…

2015 Morgon Charmes
Deep black-purple. Only just finished malo. A deep but supple aromatic – clean too. Massive but fizzy, inky, incredible density yet fine line of acidity… Phew!

2014 Morgon Charmes
Only bottled one month ago. Fresh, dark, faintly peppery nose. Wide, muscled, impressive wine – really with layers of flavour. Really something – saline finishing too.

2013 Morgon Charmes
‘It really has something charming in its character’ – made with 24-30 days of skin contact including 3-5 days of cold soak.
A fine Nd wine red fruit note – attractive. Supple, but still quite direct, lovely layers of flavour. Excellent

2011 Morgon Charmes
Here a little warmth to the fruit, a riper expression, but slowly becomes fresher and fresher on the nose. Wide, fresh not as massively constructed as many 11s, but this is really lovely with layers of fine flavour held together by great texture – yum! A reprise of fruit too.

2009 Morgon Charmes
The first vintage for this cuvée.
A great colour. Here there’s still a little vanilla aroma – super silky wine, lithe and concentrated. This is showing great, despite that vanilla that’s still peeking through – I’m really surprised by that.

2015 Morgon Les Clos – Reserve Caveau
Currently selling the 2010 of this cuvée.
Inky-deep colour again – malo not yet started. Ouf, but too early…

2015 Morgon Les Clos – Reserve Caveau
A lovely nose with a faint spicy character that is almost minty. A line and length and a quality of muscle that makes me think of Corton. Brilliant length – super wine.

2011 Morgon Les Clos – Reserve Caveau
Deep, wide again, suggesting mint but full of cassis too. Beautiful, fresh supple wine of line with a flash of brilliant intensity in the mid-palate. Bravo
2009 Morgon Les Clos – Reserve Caveau
A hint of reduction and quite some depth of complex fruit. Really showing some complexity, perhaps evolution – brilliant in the mouth. Fabulous finishing too.

2015 Moulin à Vent La Roche – Reserve Caveau
2010 the current for sale vintage for this too. ‘Really classic pink granite below 30 cm of sandy soil, just below the Moulin.’
Inky black-purple. The nose is rather approachable. Massive, sweet, complex fruit and super waves of flavour – great wine approaching!

2014 Moulin à Vent La Roche – Reserve Caveau
In tank, will bottle sometime soon – ‘its ready.’
A super colour. Fresh, deep, floral, perhaps suggesting a little vanilla. Fills the mouth, faintly textured from the tannin but there’s a fine spine underneath this elegant wine. Elegant and long finishing, at least elegantly finishing!

2013 Moulin à Vent La Roche – Reserve Caveau
Freshness and width – a very attractive nose. Fresh in the mouth – cool fruit here, still with some structure. A very sleek wine that I find refreshing and delicious.

Following hail, there were almost no grapes in this vineyard – so now wine from here in 2012.

2011 Moulin à Vent La Roche – Reserve Caveau
Really deeply coloured. Deep, deep, almost silky nose. Ouf! This is good, mega-depth and layers of fresh but cosseting flavour. Brilliant vin de garde!
2010 Moulin à Vent La Roche – Reserve Caveau
The current vintage for sale and the first vintage made here.
Already open and beautifully floral. A little hint of roast fruit, but really another cossetting, comforting texture with super width and concentration. Bravo again – this really opens out beautifully in the finish.

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