From Aix-en-Provence: Half-day Sidecar Wine Tour
Leave Aix-en-Provence aboard a vintage sidecar and discover the legendary Sainte-Victoire mountain, Cézanne’s muse, along with charming villages and local wine tastings.
Structure
Drinking window
Best 3 to 12 years from vintage.
vintage3 yrs12 yrs14 yrs
Critic scores
No critic score is published for this bottle that we can cite with a reviewer, a vintage and a review year, so none is shown. The rating in the header is our own.
In the glass
Aroma: wild herbs, black cherry, white pepper, violet
Palate: plum, garrigue, iron, Mediterranean salt
Folle Noire-led Bellet red from the historic 1898 estate in the Saquier hills inside the Nice city limits. Wild-herb, peppery and savoury.
What it pairs with
-
Daube nicoise
Provencal braised beef with garlic and orange peel meets the wine's iron and garrigue register. -
Roast lamb with rosemary
Medium tannins frame the lamb fat; the wild-herb register lifts the herb crust. -
Aged Pelardon cheese
Languedoc-Provence goat cheese picks up the wine's salt and white pepper without competition.
History
Founded in 1898 and run by Ghislain de Charnace from 1970, the estate was sold in 2012 to a viticultural investment group. The red is built around Folle Noire on the Saquier slopes inside the Nice city limits, one of France's rare urban appellations.
- 1898: Chateau de Bellet founded
- 1970: Ghislain de Charnace takes over the estate
- 2012: Estate sold to Groupement Foncier Viticole
Facts
- Producer
- Chateau de Bellet · visiting guide
- Grapes
- Folle Noire (60%), Grenache (25%), Braquet (15%)
- Classification
- Bellet AOC
- Oak
- Aged in old oak foudres and demi-muids for 12 to 15 months
- ABV
- 13.5%
- Price
- EUR 30 to 45 at retail
- Drinking window
- 3-12 from vintage
Frequently asked about Chateau de Bellet Bellet Rouge
What does Chateau de Bellet Bellet Rouge taste like?
Wild herbs, black cherry, white pepper and violet on the nose; plum, garrigue, iron and Mediterranean salt on the palate. Medium-bodied with medium tannins and a long savoury finish.
When should I drink Chateau de Bellet Bellet Rouge?
Drink between 3 and 12 years from vintage. The Folle Noire grape rewards mid-term cellaring; younger bottles benefit from 45 minutes of decanting.
What food pairs with Chateau de Bellet Bellet Rouge?
Daube nicoise is the canonical pairing; the wine's iron and garrigue meets the braised beef. Roast lamb with rosemary and aged Pelardon are equally strong matches.
Tags
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