Bellevue - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2020

Alexandre Ma

92

byAlexandre Mathe4/18/2023

Jeb DUNNUCK

88

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/30/2023

Spice, cedary herbs, red fruits, camphor, and floral notes all emerge from the 2020 Château De Bellevue, a medium-bodied, elegant, nicely balanced 2020 that has some chocolaty oak, ripe tannins, and a good finish. This complex, elegant, balanced red is well worth seeking out and will keep for 5-7 years or so.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95

byJeff Levethe3/22/2023

Supple, sensuous and fresh, there is a vibrancy and purity to the fruits that makes you want to pay attention. Full-bodied, rich and generous, the wine feels as good as it tastes as it feels. The fruits linger and expand on your palate through to the finish. This is in contention for the best vintage of Chateau Bellevue I have ever tasted. It is so good now, it is impossible to resist. But, it is only going to get better with age. The wine is produced from 100% old vine Merlot. Drink from 2025-2050.

Alexandre Ma

92

byAlexandre Mathe3/15/2023

Vinous

85

byAntonio Gallonithe2/24/2023

The 2020 Bellevue is dominated by gamy, feral notes. There is good depth, and yet this is a decidedly rustic, burly style. Élevage has not changed things much since I last tasted this.

Vinous

86

byNeal Martinthe2/15/2023

The 2020 Bellevue is deeper in color than its peers. Perfumed kirsch and crushed strawberry scents with a veneer of toasty new oak, this is more modern in style. The palate is medium-bodied with quite thickset tannins, good density and assertive towards the finish. A couple of years in bottle will benefit this Médoc, though it needs a little more refinement.

Jamessuckling.com

94

byJames Sucklingthe1/16/2023

A full-bodied, firm and intense red with blackcurrants, toasted walnuts, violets, smoked paprika and dried herbs on the nose. Sturdy frame from firm yet polished tannins. Powerful and wonderfully integrated. Better from 2026.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe1/16/2023

Good stuff, a lovely wine with powerful but supple tannic architecture. As is so often the case with Bellevue, it reveals a side of delicate, floral almost austere side of Merlot that is atypical to the grape but a perfect reflection of the cool 6.82ha clay-limestone slopes - think blueberries and slate, unshowy but with staying power. Owned by de Bouard family and the de Lavau family. Benjamin de Laforest winemaker. Interestingly, the family chose to keep this wine within the St Emilion ranking, so it remains Grand Cru Classé, unlike sibling estate Château Angélus. 33hl/ha yield.

Yvesbeck.wine

87

byYves Beckthe1/2/2023

Le bouquet de Bellevue révèle d'invitantes nuances fruitées accompagnées par une touche de
graphite et de café. De caractère juteux, il est friand et doté de tannins bien intégrés, mais ils
méritent un peu d'épanouissement. 2025-2034

Vinous

85-87

byAntonio Gallonithe6/1/2021

The 2020 Bellevue is a bold, flamboyant Lussac Saint-Émilion. At this stage, the oak is overpowering. That's a shame, as there is good depth to the fruit. Hopefully this will come together a bit more fully with élevage.

Jeb DUNNUCK

92-94

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/28/2021

I loved the 2020 Château Bellevue, and this might be the finest vintage I’ve tasted from this address. Lots of cassis and blue fruits as well as toasted spice, chocolate, and chalky minerality emerge from the glass, and it’s medium to full-bodied, with a great texture, ripe tannins, and a nice mix of freshness and richness

Vinous

93-95

byNeal Martinthe5/27/2021

The 2020 Bellevue is always so seductive out of barrel and this is no different, armed with glorious, extremely pure black cherries, blueberry, crushed violet and iris scents, the oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, and quite zesty on the midpalate, revealing veins of blood orange. Cohesive on the finish with a veneer of new oak that will require a few years to be fully assimilated. Lovely.

Decanter.com

94

byJane Ansonthe5/25/2021

A rich slick stripe of damson and smoked oak, but things close down pretty quickly on the palate. There are fine but tight tannins here, with a sweep of acidity traveling fast and swift through the palate, until the whole thing expands and softens after a minute in the glass. Great delicacy, power and depth, you would almost think there is Cabernet Franc in here because of its verticality, and beautifully rough slate texture on the finish. I love it. A yield of 33hl/ha.

The Wine Cellar Insider

94-96

byJeff Levethe5/21/2021

Flowers, black plums, cherries, licorice, wet earth and cigar box aromas create the beautiful nose. On the palate the wine is medium/full-bodied, soft, silky, fresh, sweet and polished. There is a gorgeous sense of purity to the fruit, opulence on the palate and in the finish that really works here. The wine is produced from 100% old vine Merlot. 94-96

Anthocyanes

92-94

byYohan Castaingthe5/11/2021

Iris, un peu violette, fruits noirs (cerise, cassis et mure), boisé présent et fondu. Bouche droite, charnue, de beaux tanins droits et frais. Une bouche structurante. De l'allonge.

Falstaff

93-95

byPeter Moserthe5/10/2021

Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholznuancen, zart nach Kokos, schwarze Waldbeeren, ein Hauch von Pflaumen und frischen Feigen unterlegt, etwas Nougat. Komplex, saftig, engmaschige Tex- tur, frische Kirschen, reife eingebundene Tannine, sehr gut anhaftend, verfügt über sicheres Reifepotenzial.

My Bettane + Desseauve

93-94

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/7/2021

Tastingbook.com

93

byMarkus Del Monegothe4/14/2021

Intense purple colour with violet hue and black core. Expressive nose with aroma reminiscent of dark ripe plums, mulberries, blackberries and hints of elderberries, dark chocolate, gingerbread spices and elegant toasting aroma. On the palate well structured with ripe tannins, fine acidity, ripe fruit, discreet spiciness, convincing depth and length. A wonderful wine with freshness and a pleasant tension.