Bellefont Belcier - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022

Alexandre Ma

95

par Alexandre Ma le 10/03/2025

2022 marks the second year of Château Bellefont-Belcier’s organic transformation, and remarkably, in such a hot and dry vintage, the wine is juicy and refreshingly crisp. The fragrances of peony, mulberry, red plum, and licorice linger around the nose, while the chalky essence inherent to limestone is vividly apparent. Each tasting allows me to experience the purest essence of elegance. Apart from the concentrated fruit aromas, the tannin structure is solid, yet intriguingly, once they touch the palate, they melt away, resonating with the Chinese saying “rich but not cloying”.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

95

par Jane Anson le 07/03/2025

Plump ruby fruits, intense baking spice, grilled cumin, white pepper and sage, this has fingerprints of the intensity and concentration of the vintage, expertly handled with plenty of lift and juice through the palate, soaking up the signature of these high quality clay-limestone soils. 2nd year of organic conversion. Aged in a mix of 30% new oak, 30% ovoid casks, 40% neutral oak, harvest 7 September to 6 October, 14ha of vines.

Decanter.com

95

par Georgina Hindle le 07/03/2025

Fragrant cherries, blackcurrants and liquorice. Juicy and alive, tense and focused, with pristine fruit flavours and a direct line of minerality from start to finish. It's streamlined rather than expansive, with high acidity that gives a real tang and bite to the finish. A lovely salty touch, too.

Wine Advocate

95

par Yohan Castaing le 06/03/2025

The 2022 Bellefont Belcier, a blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, confirms all our expectations placed on it during the en primeur tasting. Wafting from the glass with a fresh, delicate and complex bouquet of dark wild berries, flowers, iris, cassis and spices, it's medium to full-bodied, suave and seamless with a deep core of fruit and a vibrant, energetic mid-palate framed by delicate, refined tannins and culminating in a long, saline finish with chalky dry extracts. It will offer a broad drinking window.

The Wine Cellar Insider

95

par Jeff Leve le 04/03/2025

Bellefont-Belcier, Château

Jeb DUNNUCK

95

par Jeb Dunnuck le 28/02/2025

Spicy black cherries, blue fruits, savory herbs, dried flowers, and new saddle leather notes all emerge from the 2022 Château Bellefont-Belcier, a pure, polished, incredibly elegant 2022 that has a round, layered mouthfeel, ripe yet building tannins, and outstanding length. I love its overall complexity, and it's a more nuanced, complex wine in the vintage that's going to evolve and drink well for two decades. The 2022 is 65% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. Tasted multiple times with consistent results.

Yvesbeck.wine

97

par Yves Beck le 25/02/2025

65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc La fraîcheur du Cabernet Franc ne passe pas inaperçue, respectivement les notes de pivoines soulignent l'aspect végétal sans évidemment négliger le côté fruité par des nuances de cassis et de mûres complétées par une touche épicée. Crémeux en attaque, le vin cumule puissance, tempérament et subtilité, ce qui souligne sa grandeur et son élégance ! Un vin ambitieux, vigoureux, salivant et persistant avec l'harmonie pour fil rouge. 2026-2044 97/100

Vinous

92

par Neal Martin le 12/02/2025

The 2022 Bellefont-Belcier is more expressive on the nose than it showed at primeur, where there was some variation between bottles. This offers copious red fruit, kirsch and desiccated orange peel aromas, though it needs a little more precision and delineation. The palate is medium-bodied and quite fresh, with grainy tannins and a touch of white pepper. It tapers in slightly toward the finish. Drink this over the next 12 to 15 years.

Jamessuckling.com

96

par James Suckling le 03/02/2025

A complex and complete Bellefont-Belcier that shows a touch of pepper and mineral character to the deep flavors of dark cherries, violets and blackberries. Tense and pretty bright with lightly chewy and vibrating tannins throughout. This is more about texture, with medium to full body and a tight-grained, lengthy finish. 72% merlot, 18% cabernet franc and 10% cabernet sauvignon. Drink from 2028.

Vinous

92

par Antonio Galloni le 28/01/2025

The 2022 Bellefont-Belcier is dense and powerful. Black cherry, new leather, espresso, and spice build in a rich, deep, explosive Saint-Émilion. This is a very good wine, but it is decidedly more about intensity than finesse. I think this site can produce better and more precise wines. Bellefont-Belcier has been on something of a stylistic rollercoaster in recent years. The property needs a more coherent and consistent vision.

Wine Maniacs

93-94

par Lin Liu le 30/05/2023

Decanter.com

95

par Georgina Hindle le 25/05/2023

Gorgeous dark purple colour in the glass. It smells spiced and nuanced with dark bramble fruit touches. Smooth and shiny, this has a glamorous appeal with juicy, succulent fruit edged by a mineral liquorice aspect and some cool, crushed stone saltiness. I love the purity and charm here, not too tense or straight, more wide and expansive with plenty of friendliness. Totally seductive with acidity and fruit strength. Lovely. Tasted twice. Yield: 40hl/ha. 3.60pH. 30% new barrels. HVE3 certified.

Alexandre Ma

94-96

par Alexandre Ma le 17/05/2023

2022 marks the second year of Château Bellefont-Belcier's organic transformation, and remarkably, in such a hot and dry vintage, the wine is juicy and refreshingly crisp. The fragrances of peony, mulberry, red plum, and licorice linger around the nose, while the chalky essence inherent to limestone is vividly apparent. Each tasting allows me to experience the purest essence of elegance. Apart from the concentrated fruit aromas, the tannin structure is solid, yet intriguingly, once they touch the palate, they melt away, resonating with the Chinese saying "rich but not cloying".

Vinous

90-92

par Neal Martin le 17/05/2023

Despite swirling for several minutes, the 2022 Bellefont-Belcier was difficult to coax from the glass. There are light black cherry fruit aromas, but it feels a bit static. The palate is medium-bodied with much more promise, with black cherries, raspberry and dark chocolate notes. The finish is grainy, with more freshness on the second and third bottles. Variances between samples compels me to be prudent with my score, but there is a tangible difference in quality between this and its high-performing neighbor, Larcis-Ducasse.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

95

par Jane Anson le 16/05/2023

Concentrated deep plum colour, beautifully measured capturing the power of the vintage without being overblown. Opens with a burst of fresh red roses and violets on the nose, and the black cherry and damson fruits are shot through with a ton of saffran and turmeric. Mouthwatering sapidity on the finish, this is a brilliant Bellefont Belcier and absolutely one to look out for. 40hl/h yield; 30% new oak barrels for ageing, together with 30% unusual egg-shaped wooden vats, and the rest between one and two year old barrels. Emmanuelle Fulchi d'Aligny techincal director, moving over from Château Angélus, and this is the first full vintage under her direction (just did the blend of 2021).

matthewjukes.com

18,5

par Matthew Jukes le 15/05/2023

The Wine Independent

93-95

par Lisa Perrotti-Brown le 15/05/2023

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2022 Bellefont-Belcier needs a swirl or two to unlock notes of redcurrant jelly, baked black plums, and Morello cherries with hints of Chinese five spice, potpourri, and tilled soil. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with juicy black fruit with red berry sparks and ripe, rounded tannins, finishing with a refreshing lift.

Yvesbeck.wine

97-98

par Yves Beck le 10/05/2023

Bellefont Belcier présente un superbe bouquet marqué par des notes de groseilles, de mûres et de pivoines. Bien entendu la fraîcheur des sols calcaires plébiscite le bouquet de manière soutenue. L'attaque est dense et crayeuse. Le vin crée une superbe symbiose entre ampleur et tempérament grâce à une structure bienvenue qui favorise l'expression aromatique en fin de bouche, tandis que l'ampleur confirme un excellent niveau de concentration. Un vin à l'acidité saillante digne du sabre laser d'Obi-Wan !

Bettane & Desseauve

95-96

par Bettane & Desseauve le 10/05/2023

Enveloppant, sensuel, délicat et profond, on aime son fruit vibrant et sa tension finale qui porte bien le vin. Belle réussite.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-95

par Jeb Dunnuck le 10/05/2023

The 2022 Château Bellefont-Belcier is a lively, medium to full-bodied Saint-Emilion that shines for its vibrancy and purity while still bringing beautiful depth of fruit. A blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it has a terrific sense of minerality in its red and blue fruits as well as notes of graphite, woodsmoke, and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this ripe, concentrated, yet incredible elegant 2022 stays nicely focused, has fine grained tannins, and outstanding length. Tasted multiple times with consistent notes. 93-95+

Vinous

91-93

par Antonio Galloni le 09/05/2023

The 2022 Bellefont-Belcier is quite dark and somber. In recent years, Bellefont is not as brooding as it once was, which is a positive, but the dark, introspective nature remains. Plum, chocolate, licorice, espresso and incense are some of the many notes that open with a bit of coaxing. There’s certainly plenty of depth, yet the 2022 is on the understated side at this stage. Tasted two times. Drinking window : 2027-2047

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

par Jeff Leve le 05/05/2023

Flowers, plums, espresso, mint leaf, spice, cedar and blackberries create the nose. On the palate, the wine is silky, elegant, refined, and packed with the essence of minerality adding complexity to its layers of cherries and plums. The fruits express purity and symmetry in the finish. The wine blends 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.15% ABV, 3.45 pH. Harvesting took place September 7 - October 6. The wine is aging in 30% new French oak barrels, 30% in foudres and 40% in used oak barrels. Drink from 2027 - 2050.

Wine Advocate

93-95

par William Kelley le 02/05/2023

This estate's renaissance continues, and the 2022 Bellefont Belcier is both the finest and most elegant wine that the team has produced today. Mingling aromas of plums and sweet berries with notions of rose petals and bay leaf, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of vibrant fruit, beautifully refined tannins and a suave, seamless profile. Readers will remember that this derives from a beautifully situated hillside vineyard, sandwiched between Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteboeuf on either side, with holdings belonging to Pavie and Troplong Mondot on the plateau above. The 2022 is a blend of 72% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Jamessuckling.com

97-98

par James Suckling le 19/04/2023

Blackberry, iron, hazelnut, crushed stone, hints of salt and spice. Medium to full body. Fresh and vivid. Very sophisticated and classy. The tannins are silky and so fine, but then it opens up at the end of the palate.