HISTORY
It was in the late 17th century that Louis-Franois de BELCIER, a Magistrate from Angoulme, chose to craft the vineyard that was to bear his name; this estate is wonderfully located between PAVIE, LARCIS-DUCASSE, TROPLONG MONDOT and TERTRE ROTEBOEUF.
Other members of this illustrious family have inherited his passion for vines. A certain
Franois de BELCIER, Secretary of LOUIS XVI, had a plan to build a Chteau in the Bordeaux region in order to play host to the King. The French Revolution brought this project to a premature end.
After a great many sales and successions, the Chteau came into the hands of the Faure family in the late 19th century. It was at that time that the vineyard became one of the spearheads of the Bordeaux wine region and won a great many awards (Including the only gold medal awarded to Bordeaux wines at the Paris competition of 1892). It was also in that period that the vineyard and winery facilities were restructured by one of Pierre Faure's sons, an agronomist who designed the famous circular vat-house which has been kept intact ever since and is one of the jewels in the crown of the estate.
After a long period, two friends who shared a passion for wine, Jacques Berrebi and Alain Laguillaumie, roused the estate from its slumber, rather like Sleeping Beauty, in 1994.
LOCATION AND WINE
Set on the southern slopes of Saint Emilion, Chteau Bellefont-Belcier stands on 20 hectares, including 13 hectares of vines in a single stretch. This property has all the ingredients that have made the reputation of the Saint Emilion greats.
The arrival of the two friends in 1994 saw the start of a major restructuring programme on the vineyard. A policy aiming to optimise and ensure the sustainability of the vineyard was implemented. In order to obtain high-quality grapes, particular attention is focused on all the growing methods.
HARVESTING AND BLENDING
The wine has to be marked by the imprint of its owners, Jacques Berrebi, Alain Laguillaumie and Dominique Hbrard, whilst remaining faithful to the tradition established by Louis-Franois de Belcier.
We dont try to get overripe grapes; a ripe grape is one that combines mature tannins and skins while offering aromatic freshness. We try to find the perfect balance says Dominique Hbrard, the new director.
Blending consists of putting the puzzle back together. It is one of the key stages in winemaking. The entire team and consultant oenologists get together to taste all the batches in order to choose which proportion of which ones will feature in the main wine. The discarded batches are not of poor quality, but have less ageing potential and will be used to make the estate's second wine.
Using all the diversity of the terroir and the grape varieties, the specific identity of Chteau Bellefont-Belcier Is created within the spirit of each vintage, which Is unique.
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