Bellevue 2006

This is a wine that I appear to have badly misjudged when tasting out of barrel. I had the bottled 2006 Bellevue several times, and it was consistently hard, austere, and lean. Generally I love what this great terroir, surrounded by such famous names as Angelus and the two Beausejours, can produce. Moreover, there is no doubting the genius of the two men responsible for this wine, Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt. Nevertheless, I was surprised to see just how hard, austere, and angular this wine is. It is hard to find any charm or deep, concentrated, ripe fruit in this muscular, structured, forbiddingly tannic, and seemingly out of balance wine.

Tasted privately with a negotiant. This smells slightly baked on the nose and lacking delineation and freshness. Very sweet and plumy, a little low in acidity, very modern but lacking some personality. Blueberry and cassis on the finish. Just rather predictable in the scheme of things, rather over-oaked. Tasted April 2007.

This terroir is superbly situated between Beausejour Duffau and Beau-Sejour-Becot, with Angelus within shouting distance. Bellevue has been managed by Stephane Derenoncourt and Nicolas Thienpont since 2000, and when St.-Emilion does its next new classification (in 2016), I would not be surprised to see this estate upgraded to a premier grand cru classe. A blend of 94% Merlot and 6% Cabernet Franc, cropped at a remarkably low 30-36 hectoliters per hectare, the 2006 represents the essence of terroir with its crushed rock/steely notes intermixed with flower, black raspberry, cherry, and blackberry characteristics. It is a full-bodied, dense, rich, powerful, moderately tannic offering with a broad texture, sensational purity, and an exceptionally long finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025+.