2017 Château Bellefont-Belcier

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Bellefont Belcier wears its cedary oak at the forefront at this stage, giving way to scents of baked blackberries, black cherries and mulberries plus wafts of Christmas cake and tobacco. Medium-bodied, the palate is firmly textured with grainy tannins and has a great core of muscular fruit, finishing with a lovely herbal lift. A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was aged for 20 months in French oak, 40% new.

The 2017 Bellefont-Belcier matured in 40% new oak for 20 months. This has a well-defined bouquet with perfumed blackberry, boysenberry and crushed violet aromas, one of the purest that I have encountered in recent vintages. The palate builds on the promise it showed from barrel, fleshy with gentle grip, lightly spiced with a touch of black pepper towards the finish. There is good potential here, although I would afford it five or six years in bottle.

One of my favorite estates in Saint-Emilion, the 2017 Chateau Bellefont-Belcier comes from a 13.5-hectare vineyard on the Cote Pavie (it’s right beside Larcis-Ducasse). Mostly Merlot blended with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, it's a rocking wine in the vintage and has loads of red and black currant-driven fruit as well as notes of crushed rocks, white truffle, dried flowers, and a kiss of chocolate. With beautiful minerality, a rich, medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, building tannins, and a great finish, it's an undeniable success in this vintage that should be snatched up by readers. Hide bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following two decades. Tasted three times.