schiller-wine: Vineyard Walk and Tasting in the Chai at Château Bel-Air La Royère, Appellation Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux, with Owner/ Winemaker Corinne Loriaud - Bordeaux Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Pictures: Vineyard Tour and Tasting in the Chai at Château Bel-Air La Royère, Appellation Blaye-Côtes de Bordeaux, with Owner/ Winemaker Corinne Loriaud - Bordeaux Tour 2019 by ombiasy WineTours, France

Château Bel Air La Royère is a brilliant small producer belonging to the so called “petits-châteaux” in the Bordelais. The wines are different in style, character and identity from most other Bordeaux wines. This stems from old Malbec vines of that old high quality low yield clone. In 2003 Xavier and Corinne Loriaud bought the small, rundown Château on the Right Bank of the Gironde estuary in the back yard of Blaye just opposite Pauillac. The château came with a vineyard of 70 year old Malbec vines. The Loriauds did not rip out the vines like so many others, instead they focused on this traditional old Bordeaux grape varietal. With Argentina's great Malbec qualities, and in times of a drastic climate change the grape variety has been attracting renewed attention. Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud, a winemaker in her own rights surrounded herself with women following the departure of her husband in 2009, who went into politics to become a deputy in the Department of the Gironde. To build up and secure her new existence she boldly reduced the vineyard size from 50 to 30 acres and ambitiously continued her work since 2009. Today she belongs to the original and distinctive Bordeaux of a new generation, which has been receiving a tremendous response in the French press.

Corinne Loriaud was our host. We spent a considerable amount of time in the vineyard with her before tasting her wines with her.

Pictures: Arriving

A Family Passion

Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud: Originating from Charente, and a producer of cognac. The Chevrier-Loriaud family, a fourth generation wine family fell in love with this ancient property during the year 1992 in Gironde. In restoring this vineyard to its original glory, an elegant wine was born. Dynamic in taste, going from strength to strength to become the spirit of innovation and quality of Bel-Air La Royère. Reflecting the evolving style, and definitive regional touch of Blaye. These wines pays homage to a remarkably skilled family.

The Malbec is an ancient grape variety which from its humble beginnings has become the perfect vine to create a truly remarkable wine. This Malbec highlights the Château since 1995, it enriches the blend with spicy notes and deep subtle flavours.

Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud built her vineyard with a skilled team comprised entirely of women working the vines just as she did in the wine house. Whilst at the same time, continually on the hunt for soil types that work perfectly with the Merlot-Malbec blend to provide a wine bursting in finesse and her touch of savoir-faire.

Pictures: In the Vineyard with Corinne Loriaud

In the Search of Excellence

Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud; We are a small winemaking team on 12 hectares. Always close to our vines, our wines and our customers.

We have been in the business of environmentally friendly and sustainable farming for many years in order to keep our soils durable and to support our flourishing grapevines. Additionally, we are looking above all else to provide products that reflect our land’s unique quality.

Our size allows us to innovate every year and experiment with new techniques in order to obtain wines of the highest quality.

Our ambition allows us to grow internationally.

Pictures: Tasting with Corinne Loriaud

Rediscovering Malbec

Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud: Corinne Chevrier-Loriaud, winemaker since 1992 highlights the Malbec grape in creating the Merlot-Malbec blend.

Every step in the process of working the vine is important, after the size, wedging, folding, cutting the unneeded branches, raising the branches, topping and trimming, thinning out the leaves, the grapes are now ready for harvesting. All the grapes on our aged vines are harvested by hand in order to preserve the integrity of the fruit and the vine.

In our cellars and after the destemming, we manually sort the harvest. We adapt to the vintage and our soil for the rest of the winemaking process. The aging process is done in barrels, different coopers are then selected following the harvest.

With each vintage being different, we are constantly adapting to emphasise our personality in the wine.

The Wines we Tasted

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, Justin Malbec, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

100% Malbec young vines
Euro 8.50

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, Goumandise de Bel-Air La Royère, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

Goumandise de Bel-Air La Royère

Parmi nos trois vins rouges, Gourmandise apparaît comme notre très belle entrée de gamme.

Un vin qui ne s'appelle pas Gourmandise par hasard‪… Tout en douceur avec son 100 % merlot, il vous surprendra par ses notes fruitées et sa rondeur.

Nous sommes fiers de vous présenter ses belles critiques :

- "Gourmandises de Bel-Air La Royère 2015 se livre avec timidité, avec une reduction encore marquée. La bouche, légère et friande, en fera un vin de plaisir immédiat". Le guide des meilleures vins de France, par la Revue du Vins de France, 2018.

Euro 9.50

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, L'Esprit de Bel-Air La Royère, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

L'Esprit de Bel-Air La Royère

L'Esprit de Bel-Air la Royère est notre second vin. Son assemblage se compose de 90 % de merlot, 5 % de malbec et 5 % de cabernet sauvignon.

Nous somme fiers de vous présenter ses nombreuses médailles et belles critiques :

- Médaille d'or au concours mondiale des Féminalises 2017

- Médaille d'argent au concours Elle à Table 2016

- Médaille d'argent au concours de Bordeaux Vins d'Aquitaine 2017

- Médaille d'argent au concours de Lyon 2017

- "Le nez est fruité et légèrement concentré. On y retrouve des notes de fraise et de fruits noirs associées à quelques notes épicées". Par le magazine Vert De Vin.

Euro 15.50

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, Château Bel-Air La Royère, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

Le Château Bel-Air La Royère est notre grand vin. Son assemblage est composé de 65 % de merlot et 35 % de malbec.

Nous sommes fiers de vous présenter ses belles critiques :

- "Matière très veloutée, tanins fins". Obtient la note de 17/20, par le sommelier Jean-Michel Deluc.

- "Au nez, un élégant boisé toasté et chocolaté accompagne les fruits mûrs, rafraîchis par des notes mentholées. On retrouve tout cela dans une bouche puissante, ample et riche". Par le Guide Hachette des Vins 2018.

- "Incontestablement le plus grand vin de l'appelation Blaye dégusté dans ce millésime. Coloré, amplement fruité, sans aucune trace de bois, il décline en finale des notes minérales et de graphite. Superbe!". Obtient la note de 17/20, par Philippe Maurange, la Revue du Vin de France.

Euro 15.50

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, Fig. 10, Malbec, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

2017 Château Bel Air La Royère, Château Bel-Air La Royère, Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

Le Blanc de Bel-Air La Royère

Unique blanc du Château, c'est un 100 % sauvignon blanc.

Nous sommes fiers de vous présenter ses belles critiques :

- "J'ai choisi leur vin blanc uniquement sur le cépage sauvignon, sur le millésime solaire 2015 que l'on retrouve avec un éléevage précis de 9 mois en barrique. Ce qui lui confère une note briochée ou s'entremêlent agrumes et exotisme." Par David Marras, jeune sommelier du restaurant doublement étoilé Les Cèdres.

- "Il affiche pourtant un profil à part, avec des saveurs de fruits blancs à noyau. Bouche trés séduisante, charnue et grasse. L'un des plus gourmands et un rapport qualité/prix remarquable". Obient la note de 16/20 dans le palmarés des meilleurs blancs 2015, par la Revue du Vin de France.

Euro 15.50

Bye-bye

Many thanks Corinne for a great vineyard walk and tasting.

Pictures: Bye-bye

Drive Back to Bordeaux City

We took a boat ride across the Gironde. We got the ferry in the historic quaint little town of Blaye to go from the left bank to the right bank. It was impressive to actually see and feel the Gironde, this huge body of water so important for the micro-climate of the famous Médoc wine area.