Partly an enclave of Château Pavie Decesse, on the Saint-Emilion clay limestone plateau, Château Bellevue-Mondotte is tiny in size, but has an "immense" terroir.

Geological characteristics

Overlooking the Dordogne valley from a height of 80 meters, this estate combines all the necessary characteristics for producing high quality wines: meagre soil, excellent south-facing sun exposure, fine natural drainage due to its position on a slope, protection from frost damage, and shelter from northerly winds.

Viticulture

Green harvesting, with an initial leaf thinning on the eastern side of the vines in late June and a second in mid-August on the western side.

Vinification

The grapes are hand-picked and hand sorted. Alcoholic fermentation is triggered by indigenous yeast in temperature-controlled wooden vats. The wine is kept on the skins for 3 to 5 weeks. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel.
Château Bellevue-Mondotte is barrel-aged for six months on its lees (100% of new oak) for a total of aproximatively 24 months. Final blending takes place just before bottling, and the wine is neither fined nor filtered.

Appellation

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Location

South east from the village of Saint-Emilion

Area under vine

2.5 hectares

Grape varieties

90% merlot, 5% cabernet franc, 5% cabernet sauvignon

Average age of the vines

45 years