Château Bellevue-Mondotte is one of St-Emilion’s most minuscule estates. Its output is unsurprisingly tiny, occupying just over 2 hectares on the appellation’s eastern edge. Acquired by the legendary Gérard Perse (of Château Pavie fame) in 2001, the Domaine has fast become one of the region’s most sought after labels, upholding Perse’s bombastic brand of bold but modern Bordeaux blends.
Aged in 100% new French oak for up to 24 months, this wine spends its first six months on lees. Unfined and unfiltered, this wine is achingly stylish and textural, displaying a good balance of fruit and minerality. It has serious aging potential – up to 30 years and perhaps even beyond.
Deep colour. Dark plum, blackcurrant fruits with Liquorice. Intensely concentrated and brambly with deep set, chocolaty textures. Finishes brambly and long. Plenty of grunt but this will soften out.
94 points, Andrew Caillard MW.
St.-Émilion is the star of Bordeaux’s Right Bank, north of the Dordogne River. The rich red wines produced in St.-Émilion, based on Merlot and Cabernet Franc, are less tannic and generally more fruit-driven in flavour than the Cabernet-based wines of Left Bank. Merlot thrives on the plateaus high above the Dordogne, where the soil is filled with sand and clay, a perfect medium for creating opulent, fruit-forward wines. With a typically savoury character, St.-Émilion wines are sometimes called the “Burgundies of Bordeaux.” These refined reds, with loads of finesse, are elegant companions to beef, chicken, pork and duck.
The wines of St.-Émilion were not included in the famous 1855 classification of Bordeaux, which ranked wines of the Left Bank. In 1955, St.-Émilion published its own classification, based on soil analysis, wine quality and reputation of the properties. Unlike the 1855 classification, St.-Emilion’s system requires properties to continuously prove themselves. The list is revised regularly, most recently in 2012. There are two tiers within the classification, Premier Grand Cru Classé and Grand Cru Classé. There are currently just 18 Premier Grand Cru properties and 64 Grand Cru Classé properties.
The St.-Émilion appellation is home to hundreds of individual producers, enhancing the variety of wines made there. Many of the properties remain small, family-run enterprises, unlike the large châteaux of the Left Bank. The area is also the base of France’s controversial micro-châteaux or garagiste wine movement; these innovative winemakers operate outside the traditional classification system, making very high quality (and very expensive) highly extracted wines.
