Chateau Bel Air La Royere in Blaye is not one of the 300 so winemakers in Bordeaux, who produce a premium Bordeaux that sells en primeur for hundred of Euros and more per bottle. Chateau Bel Air La Royere is one of the other 15.000 wine makers that are not in the limelight and who have to struggle against the competition of wines from all over the world, including the New World. But Chateau Bel Air La Royere wines are interesting and special for at least 2 reasons. The wines of Chateau Bel Air La Royere are – like so many others – good value Petite Chateau Bordeaux wines. And, unusual for Bordeaux, 25% of Chateau Bel Air La Royere’s vineyard is planted with Malbec and even produces a single variety Malbec, the only 100% Malbec in Bordeaux as far as I know.
Château Bel-Air la Royère
Château Bel-Air la Royère is managed and owned by Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud. Christian Vevry is a conseiller technicque.
Xavier Loriaud and Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud bought the run-down estate in the 1990s, when Xavier was working as a wine consultant, mainly with Medoc chateaux. In the beginning, they sold the wine in bulk but started to bottle it in 1995. In the meantime, Xavier has moved on and become a politician, while his wife Corinne has taken over the management of Chateau Bel-Air la Royere.
25% of the 23 hectares of vineyard area is accounted for by Malbec, with the Malbec plantings dating from 1947, 1949, 1953 and also some from the 2000s. Merlot accounts for 65% and Cabernet Sauvignon for the remaining 10%.
See also:
Bordeaux: The Wines of the Bourg and Blaye Regions – An Introduction
Malbec in France and Bordeaux
Overall, Malbec is at a low in France currently, but may stage a come-back. Over recent decades, the popularity of Malbec has been steadily declining with only 6,000 hectares remaining. Its stronghold remains Cahors where AOC regulations stipulate that Malbec must compose at least 70% of the blend.
Outside of Cahors, Malbec is still found in small amounts as a permitted variety in the AOCs of Bergerac, Buzet, Côtes de Duras, Côtes du Marmandais and Bordeaux.
Malbec in Bordeaux
Malbec is one of the six permitted red grape varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere - in the Bordeaux region, but in contrast to Cahor only rarely used in Bordeaux blends today.
Chateau Haut Bailly in Pessac Leognan is one of the producers that has reportedly all 6 red grape varieties growing in its vineyards. Château Cheval Blanc uses a tiny amount of Malbec in its blend as do Chateau L’Enclos and Chateau Gruaud Larose. Examples of famous châteaux that use Carmenere are the Fifth Growth Château Clerc Milon and the Second Growth Château Brane Cantenac. Only the regions of the Côtes-de-Bourg, Blaye and Entre-Deux-Mers have any significant plantings in Bordeaux.
However if you go back to the year 1855 when the famous Left Bank Classification of 1855 was established, all chateaux had Malbec in their vineyards. At that time, Malbec was the most planted grape in Bordeaux, probably up to 60%. First Growth Château Lafite’s vineyards, for example, were dominated by Malbec and First Growth Château Latour was mostly Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. In Saint Emilion, on the right bank, Malbec was known as Noir de Pressac and very popular.
Though Malbec was historically a major planting in Bordeaux, providing color and fruit to the blend, in the 20th century, it started to lose ground to Merlot and Cabernet Franc due, in part, to its sensitivities to so many different vine ailments (coulure, downy mildew, frost). The severe 1956 frost wiped out a significant portion of Malbec vines in Bordeaux. But there are many, who predict a comeback of Malbec in Bordeaux as a result of climate change.
See also:
Malbec Renaissance in Bordeaux as a Result of Climate Change?
Malbec World Day 2012 - Malbec in Bordeaux, France
Wine Portfolio
Château Bel Air La Royère
AOC Blaye
The Grand Vin of Château Bel Air La Royère.
Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud: “Les vendanges sont triées au chai avec un éraflage réalisé à 100%. La macération dure de 4 à 5 semaines, en cuves inox thermo-régulées, ensuite la fermentation malo-lactique se fait en barriques. L’élevage du vin se fait également en barriques sous température contrôlée pendant 18 mois, avec 80% de fûts neufs. La forte proportion de Malbec dans l’encépagement du domaine donne au Château Bel-Air La Royère une typicité et un caractère unique.
L'Esprit de Bel-Air la Royère
Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux
The second wine of Château Bel Air La Royère. 80% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Gourmandise
Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux
The third wine of Château Bel Air La Royère. 100% Merlot (young vines)
Malbec Fig. 10
Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux
A wine produced irregularly. 100% Malbec. I have only seen the wine on the German market so far.
Probably the only 100% Malbec in Bordeaux.
The Wines we Tasted
2009 Gourmandise
2009 L'Esprit de Bel-Air la Royère
Inky garnet in the glass, notes of dark berries, graphite and leather on the nose, medium-bodied, not as much concentrated as the Grand Vin, but perfectly balanced, juicy, upfront, attractive fruit on the palate, great wine.
Wine Searcher Average Price in US$: 14
2009 Château Bel Air La Royère
Inky garnet in the glass, notes of plum, cedarwood and tobacco on the nose, good structure, fresh acidity and punchy tannins on the palate, good finish.
Wine Searcher Average Price in US$: 26
Bordeaux Tour in September 2012
Château Bel-Air la Royère in Cars, just a few miles away from Blaye on the Right Bank of Bordeaux, was first stop at the Bordeux Tour in September 2012 in Bordeaux, organized by Annette Schiller, Ombiasy Wine Tours.
See also:
Bordeaux Trip September 2012, France
schiller-wine: Related Postings
Bordeaux Wines and their Classifications: The Basics
An Afternoon with Owner Michel Tesseron at Château Lafon-Rochet, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, in Saint-Estèphe, Bordeaux
The Wine Empire of the von Neipperg Family in France, Bulgaria and Germany
Château Léoville-Poyferré, Chateau Le Crock, Didier Cuvelier in Bordeaux and the Cuvelier Los Andes Wines in Argentina
Château Pape Clément in Pessac-Léognan and the World Wide Wine Empire of Bernard Magrez, France
Tasting with Alfred Tesseron the last 10 Vintages of Château Pontet-Canet in Washington DC, USA/France
Tasting the Wines of Chateau Lafon-Rochet, Saint-Estèphe, 4ème Cru Classé en 1855, with Owner Basil Tesseron at the French Embassy in Washington DC, USA/France
Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) on North America Tour in Washington DC - Schiller’s Favorites
Owner Jean-Bernard Grenié and Wine Journalist Panos Kakaviatos Presented the Wines of Chateau Angélus and Chateau Daugay at Black Salt Restaurant in Washington DC, USA
Malbec Renaissance in Bordeaux as a Result of Climate Change?
In the Wine Capital of the World: the City of Bordeaux, France
Vin Bio de Bordeaux - At Château Beauséjour in AOC Puisseguin-St.Emilion, France
Bordeaux: The Wines of the Bourg and Blaye Regions – An Introduction
Malbec World Day 2012 - Malbec in Bordeaux, France
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