Chateau Haut-Bellevue 2010
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Blend: 49% Merlot, 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot
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Wine & Spirits
Alain Roses farms his family's 39.5-acre estate in Lamarque, on gravel croupes north of Margaux and close to the river. His 2010 feels like a cool breeze off the Gironde, a classic claret with red fruit, cracked green peppercorn spice and stony tannins. While the structure is tight, it already carries a lovely terroir expression—a firm Medoc that will age with grace.
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Wine Enthusiast
Already the structure is beginning to make way for ripe plum and damson fruits. With its firm structure, this is a complex and concentrated wine that will need to age over at least four years.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
While it claims the same basic landscape as the Medoc—only every so slightly elevated above river level—the Haut Medoc is home to all of the magnificent chateaux of the Left Bank of Bordeaux, creating no lack of beautiful sites to see.
These chateaux, residing over the classed-growth cru in the villages of Margaux, Moulis, Listrac, St-Julien, Pauillac and St. Estephe are within the Haut Medoc appellation. Though within the confines of these villages, any classed-growth chateaux will most certainly claim village or cru status on their wine labels.
Interestingly, some classed-growth cru of the Haut Medoc fall outside of these more famous villages and can certainly be a source of some of the best values in Bordeaux. Deep in color, and concentrated in ripe fruit and tannins, these wines (typically Cabernet Sauvignon-based) often prove the same aging potential of the village classed-growths. Among these, the highest ranked chateaux are Chateau La Lagune and Chateau Cantemerle.