Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Ashy berries, orange zest, currants, chili chocolate and a touch of black pepper. Juicy and fine-grained on the palate with medium to full body and a succulent finish. Fresh and pretty lengthy.
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Vinous
The 2021 Bellegrave (Pauillac) has a ripe blackberry and bilberry nose, well defined and quite "punchy" for the vintage. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, graphite-infused black fruit and a nicely composed finish driven by the Cabernet. This is a fine Pauillac.
Barrel Sample: 90-92 -
Wine Enthusiast
This small estate in the heart of Pauillac has produced a perfumed, polished wine. Wood aging and black fruits are still prominent and need to soften. It is a fine wine from this major appellation. Drink from 2026.
Cellar Selection -
Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh, with lilac and violet notes leading the way, followed by a taut core of red currant and damson plum coulis laced with singed cedar and alder. Delivers a nice echo of earth through the pleasantly rustic finish.
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.
The leader on the Left Bank in number of first growth classified producers within its boundaries, Pauillac has more than any of the other appellations, at three of the five. Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Mouton Rothschild border St. Estephe on its northern end and Chateau Latour is at Pauillac’s southern end, bordering St. Julien.
While the first growths are certainly some of the better producers of the Left Bank, today they often compete with some of the “lower ranked” producers (second, third, fourth, fifth growth) in quality and value. The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification that goes back to 1855. The finest chateaux in that year were judged on the basis of reputation and trading price; changes in rank since then have been miniscule at best. Today producers such as Chateau Pontet-Canet, Chateau Grand Puy-Lacoste, Chateau Lynch-Bages, among others (all fifth growth) offer some of the most outstanding wines in all of Bordeaux.
Defining characteristics of fine wines from Pauillac (i.e. Cabernet-based Bordeaux Blends) include inky and juicy blackcurrant, cedar or cigar box and plush or chalky tannins.
Layers of gravel in the Pauillac region are key to its wines’ character and quality. The layers offer excellent drainage in the relatively flat topography of the region allowing water to run off into “jalles” or streams, which subsequently flow off into the Gironde.