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2023 Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves, Bordeaux

  • Red
  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet Franc (10%)
Ready - youthful
Product: 20231016226
2023 Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves, Bordeaux

Description

Blend: 50% Merlot; 40% Cabernet Sauvignon; 10% Cabernet Franc.

Husband-and-wife team Guillaume and Aurélie (whose family, the Ballandes, are owners here since 2017) are really starting to hit their stride now. There have been renovations of the historic buildings and improvements in the cellar. The wine is more focused than before, with advice now from Derenoncourt Consultants. This is juicy and direct, with an attractive floral lift and an energetic but very well-balanced finish. It is very appealing.

Drink 2025 - 2032

Our score: 15.5/20

Berry Bros. & Rudd

Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2023
Maturity Ready - youthful
Grape List Merlot (50%), Cabernet Sauvignon (40%), Cabernet Franc (10%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Villa Bel-Air

About this wine

Merlot

The most widely planted grape in Bordeaux and a grape that has been on a relentless expansion drive throughout the world in the last decade. Merlot is adaptable to most soils and is relatively simple to cultivate. It is a vigorous naturally high yielding grape that requires savage pruning - over-cropped Merlot-based wines are dilute and bland. It is also vital to pick at optimum ripeness as Merlot can quickly lose its varietal characteristics if harvested overripe.
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Graves

Graves

The region which first established Bordeaux's reputation, Graves wines were exported to England as early as the 12th century. The names is derived from ‘gravel’ and the best soils are gravel-rich, mixed with sand and occasionally clay. It is larger in areas than the Médoc but produces only half the amount of wine. The best wines were first classified in 1953 with this classification confirmed in 1959.
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Chateau Villa Bel-Air

Château Villa Bel-Air is located in the Southern part of Graves, in the parish of Saint-Morillon, near La Brède. Villa Bel-Air's buildings have been listed as part of France's historical monuments and are a perfect illustration of the French Revolution period.
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