Château Bellefont-Belcier 2016

Warm and lush in feel, delivering soft-edged fig, boysenberry and blackberry compote flavors liberally infused with ganache and black licorice accents. Ample toast hints drape over the finish, and this is definitely accessible, but a good buried graphite note should also help it develop with a bit of cellaring. Drink now through 2032. 2,917 cases made.

A savoury vintage with dark plum and blackberry, and with more energy than 2015, but overripe fruit and drying, oak-derived tannins slightly detract.

Very fresh with fine dry tannins that carry the concentrated and ripe palate very nicely. I love the floral and currant bouquet that’s very enticing, in spite of the wine’s youth. Lots of blackcurrant and tobacco. A blend of 65 percent merlot, 20 percent cabernet franc and 15 percent cabernet sauvignon. Try in 2020.

Looks a little more developed than the 2015, oddly. Rich, toasty nose. Lots of fresh fruit and vitality on the palate. Very nice wine that perhaps lacks the opulence of a perfect one but is very successful. You could almost drink it already with chewy food! (JR)

Flowers, smoke, licorice, espresso, blackberry and plum are at the core of this wine. Also present are soft, silky tannins, along with freshness and juiciness throughout the fruit. It will take time for the oak to integrate, so be prepared to wait 8–10 years before pulling a cork. The quality is there, so it will be worth the wait. The wine was made from a blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Dark ruby, purple reflexes, brightening at the rim. Black forest berry jam, black cherry fruit, delicious spicy oaky complexity and fine toasty aromas. Juicy, very elegant, sweet ripe cherries, vivid, well-integrated tannins, some nougat, mineral finish, very good length with a great promise for the future.

Deep purple with garnet highlights at the rim. Restrained opening with blackberry and sour cherry juice, followed by violet and licorice. On the palate, dense and full-bodied, showing fine breed in the extract, with a blueberry-toned finish becoming finely mellow. There’s still a point to be gained after barrel aging!

Kunz barrel sample 17: Fresh, creamy, elegant, powerful bouquet, strawberries, raspberry jelly, herbs, cold smoke, fine nougat, pralines. Velvety, tightly woven palate with powerful, fine fruit, plenty of good tannins, dense structure, powerful, complex, sweet aromatics, long, finely creamy finish.

Dense, elegant, finely concentrated, fresh bouquet of blackberries, cherries, wild strawberries, pralines, mint, and vanilla. A tightly knit, elegant palate with creamy fruit, plenty of fine tannins, diverse sweet aromatics, dense structure, and a very long, fresh finish. 18/20 2024 - 2048

The wine is starting to come together nicely: we like its breadth, its silky texture, and its fresh, lively fruit that lends subtlety to the finish.

Its deep concentration is not about to soften anytime soon; its dark colour invites you to focus on the firm framework of its early years. It then broadens out over time with more powdery tannins, ultimately leaving the impression of a fine, generous personality built on a naturally powerful foundation.

The texture is very dense, the finish is dark and exudes notes of blueberry and coffee. The maturation is very prominent and slightly masks the wine’s fruit. It will need a few more years to integrate its oak.

Very fine fruity and chalky intensity. There are also chocolate notes. On the palate, the wine stands out for its liveliness and the freshness of its acidity. The result is a well-balanced wine. A wine that deserves a bit of cellaring.

The nose is elegant, revealing notes of blackberry, toasted tones and, more subtly, toasted bread, crushed blackcurrant, with small touches of crushed red fruits, very discreet hints of Sichuan pepper and sweet spices, as well as an imperceptible hint of violet and vanilla. The palate is fruity and balanced, offering good definition, lovely straightness, a slight juicy/tangy thread, some flesh, smoothness, finesse, a fine grain and a delicate, racy minerality. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fleshy blackberry and fleshy blackcurrant, joined by small touches of fleshy raspberry, small fleshy fruits, licorice, toasted notes, and a very discreet hint of toasted bread and spices. The tannins are elegant. Good length.

The best ever made. Dark, intense, purple color. Fruity, ripe, fine and subtle nose. A caressing mouthfeel with brightness of flavor and a straight structure, yet very precise in its flesh. The second half of the palate is the most refined and longest ever seen. Very juicy wine. Bravo!

91–93. Barrel Sample. This is a fruity, juicy wine, with soft tannins as well as a touch of toast. It has an immediacy to it, thanks to the forward fruit and generous tannins. At the same time, there is a core of dry structure that will allow it to age.