Grand Cru Classe St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend

The 2020 Bellefont-Belcier has quite a backward nose, rather introspective with black fruit, cedar and cigar box aromas. It's more dark than light. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins, fleshy yet with well-judged acidity and pure, lightly spiced black fruit towards the harmonious finish. This conveys a sense of flow that I appreciate. One to watch. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2023)

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

This is a very tasty Merlot based blend from Saint Emilion.

Full-bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, cola, chocolates, light vanilla, oak, light vegetables, herbs and black pepper.

This 5 year old is still young and needs three to five years in the bottle to mature. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.

I had it a few months ago and this time I gave it 24 hours to open up in the bottle. Much better this way.

Good by itself or with food. I enjoyed it with Camembert cheese and crackers.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc.

15% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$60.

It’s time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from Saint Emilion.

Dark ruby in color with a short purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackcurrants, black plums, vanilla, dark coffee, oak, chocolates, fresh herbs, tobacco leaf, light black tea and black pepper.

Full-bodied and soft with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, earth, vanilla, licorice, spices, peppercorn, tobacco, chocolates and dark coffee.

Nice length on the finish with soft tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Merlot based red blend from Bordeaux. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 2 hours of airtime.

I had it a year ago, and it is drinking much better now. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Tasty and spicy. Rich and elegant.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak barrels (30% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50.

3rd wine of the night... This one excels. Nice muddled black and red fruit on the nose with tertiary notes of camphor, oil... But on the palate the fruits reemerge. Quite interesting... Cranberry, raspberry, and blackberry... All stewed. So enjoyable, medium plus body, medium alcohol, medium soft tannins with some drying, medium minus acidity. Spherical... For me, this hits everything. Definitely, top of my scale.

94+ points

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Strong nose of black plums, black currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, earth and peppercorn.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, oak, earth, vegetables, spices, tobacco leaf, dark coffee and black pepper.

Nice finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a young Merlot from Bordeaux. Showing mild complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, and better after 2 hours of airtime.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

A good food wine that I paired with pizza.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon.

15% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55.

It's time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice one from Bordeaux.

Dark inky in color with a short ruby rim.

On the nose, blueberries, black plums, cooked cherries, cedar, light vanilla, spices, licorice, earth, black pepper, chocolates and tobacco leaf.

Full bodied and soft with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, blueberries, currants, vanilla, licorice, light pencil lead, spices, oak, tobacco, earth, peppercorn, herbs and light vegetables.

Tangy finish with soft tannins and cranberries.

This 4 year old Merlot is drinking very nicely now. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Rich and tangy with nice complexity.

Still very young, and need 3 to 5 years in the bottle to mature properly. Would age nicely in the next 15 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 years. Showing good potential to become a much better wine.

I opened it up and tasted it every 30 minutes. Was ready to drink after a little over 2 hours, so take your time.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

15% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$55.

It’s time for some Merlot on this#MerlotThursday.

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

On the nose, plums, black currants, strawberries, sweet cherries, light cedar, licorice, vanilla, earth, herbs, chocolates, tobacco, spices, dark coffee and black pepper.

Medium plus in body and soft, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with currants, black plums, cherries, oak, light vanilla, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth, light vegetables and herbs.

Medium finish with fine tannins, tangy raspberries and peppercorn.

This young Bordeaux from Saint Émilion is already showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Tasty and interesting. Tangy and rich. Needs a couple of hours to open up properly.

Still young, but starting to drink nicely now. I am surprised of how approachable it is already. Still a little unbalanced, and needs another few years in the bottle to mature properly. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

This 2018 vintage is showing a lot of potential. A little lighter than the 2016 I had a couple of weeks ago.

A good quality wine that will age nicely in the next 15 to 20 years.

I paired it with Brie cheese and crackers.

A blend of 68% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$55.

It is time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here's a delicious one from France.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, black plums, black currants, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, leather, spices, dark coffee, milk chocolates and peppercorn. Pretty, once it opens up.

Full-bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate and fruity, with blackberries, earth, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, licorice, spices, light alcohol, chocolates, tobacco, mocha, leather, pencil lead, herbs and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious 5 year old Right Bank Bordeaux. Drinking very nicely now, although still young.

This 2016 vintage is showing very nicely now. Well balanced with nice complexity and a great mouthfeel.

Still a little hot at the back of the throat, at this point, but I love the cedar and sweet cherry notes.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly, so give it time. Good by itself once it opens up.

Will age nicely in the next 15 years, and has good potential to become even better.

Tasty, tangy and spicy. A delicious wine from a great vintage.

A good food wine too, that will pair nicely with BBQ Meats. I paired it with cheeses and green olives.

A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Grapes are grown on limestone soil.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$55.

It's time for some #Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here is a nice one from Bordeaux.

Dark ruby in color with a wide brick/ reddish rim.

Nose of blueberries, black currants, wood, vanilla, vegetables, spices, tobacco, forest floor, nail polish remover, Indian spices and black pepper.

Full bodied with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, vegetables, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, black pepper, peppercorn, tobacco, earth, green herbs and forest floor.

Medium plus in finish with firm tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very nice Right Bank Bordeaux. Probably has some flaw on the nose, but not corked. Much nicer on the palate.

This 15 year old from a great vintage, is rich and extracted with a lot of earth notes. Showing a nice mouthfeel with nice complexity.

Needs a few hours to open up properly. Drinking very nicely now, and will continue to evolve in the next 5 to 10 years.

Thank you Jesus for sharing this with me.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses, crackers and fresh berries.

A blend of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged for 16 months in Oak barrels

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$60.

Excellent #saintemilion bright fresh fruit. Amazingly fresh for a 2012. Silky tannins. #smoothcriminal