The Human Aspect

In 2000, the owners of Château Bellevue asked Nicolas Thienpont to take over the management of the Château. Straight away, this vintage, with careful production control from the vineyard to the vinification, proved a success: the terroir had spoken.

Upon our arrival, our first task was the installation of a drainage system throughout the vineyard in order to manage water-flow, diminish erosion on the slopes and increase heat retention by the soils. At the same time, our philosophy of respect for the terroir led us to adopt a "biological" approach to management of the vineyard.

Nicolas Thienpont’s other sites
Château Pavie Macquin
Château Larcis Ducasse
Château Bellevue
Château Les Charmes Godard
Château Puygueraud
Château La Prade
 

The Soils

The patient work of redynamising the soil was begun. In order to revitalise the soils, we use compost produced biodynamically and organic enrichments to correct any possible mineral deficiencies. The soils are worked in a traditional manner and in the autumn, cereals are planted in order to help manage problems of compaction and to encourage the natural life of the soil.

 

The Vineyards

With an average vine age of 35 to 40 years, the production of the Château is quite low, as the vines are of low vigour and the soils are carefully managed to control fertility. Systematic replantation is undertaken with the elimination of weak vines. The control of yields for a production of quality, adapted to the vintage, begins with pruning and continues with management of the annual growth of the vine. Green harvest occurs twice, once after bunch closure, in order to eliminate overcrowding, and secondly at veraison, to balance the quantity of bunches and thereby aid maturation. Leaf thinning around the grapes takes place according to the climatic conditions of each vintage.
A parcel-by-parcel plan of harvest and tank usage is drawn up after careful tasting of the grapes, in order to arrive at the premium date of harvest. The harvest itself is manual, the grapes picked into small bins and then carefully sorted and fed into the tanks by gravity.

Vinification

The grapes are vinified whole in temperature controlled concrete tanks. In 2005, half of the tanks were fitted out with equipment to allow punching down (as opposed to pumping over), as finesse and opulence are preferred to concentration and over-extraction. The wine is run-off into barrels, of which 1/3 are new, located in an underground cellar dug into the hillside. Malolactic fermentation occurs at its own pace (usually late) and rackings are infrequent (after malolactic and before bottling) allowing aging on lees which adds richness to the wine and highlights its fruit characters.

The wines of Bellevue are characterised by their power, their great aromatic complexity and mineral notes. The high percentage of Merlot in the blend will be gradually diminished over the coming years through increased planting of Cabernet Franc.

Through the quality of its terroir, surrounded by three premier grand cru classé Châteaux, one cannot help reflecting on the potential for greatness this property has.