2017 Bellefont Belcier 6 Pack

94 POINTS

James Suckling

Dark fruit with chocolate and a hint of coffee on the nose. Medium to full body, fine tannins and a juicy finish. The toasted oak is a little predominant now, but this is going to come together beautifully. Excellent length, A blend of 70% merlot, 25% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Try after 2022.

93 POINTS

Wine Spectator

Juicy and fresh, with lively plum, blackberry and black cherry compote flavors taking the lead, while anise, apple wood and bramble accents fill in through the finish. Shows good energy throughout. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

93 POINTS

Panos Kakaviatos - Decanter

Ripe fruit aromas reflect more harmony than the 2015 and, for once, some genuine salinity on the palate. A pleasure to drink on its own, or try with lentil curry or seared duck. A key difference is that this vintage was aged 14 months (not 20 months) in 40% new barrels instead of 80%.

93 POINTS

Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider

The first vintage for new owner Peter Kwok is deep in color. The medium/full bodied, fresh, bright, black cherry, licorice and chocolate filled wine offers soft textures, freshness and minerality in the finish. The wine was made from blending 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

93 POINTS

Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from a 13.5-hectare vineyard sitting on the plateau and south-facing hillside of the Cote Pavie (right beside Larcis-Ducasse), the 2017 Bellefont-Belcier is a screaming success in the vintage. Loaded with beautiful dark fruits, violets, and salty, rocky minerality, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, sensational purity of fruit, and perfect balance. The tentative blend is 75% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and it hit a solid 14.6% natural alcohol. It’s certainly worth your time and money. Tasted three times.

93 POINTS

James Suckling

Very focused and compacted, showcasing extremely polished and firm tannins. Medium-to full-bodied and finely glossy and precise. Dark fruits, wet earth and an intense finish. Excellent length. Points: 93-94

92 POINTS

Peter Moser - Falstaff

Deep dark ruby, with purple reflections, and a delicate bright rim. An inviting aroma of dark berry fruit, hints of fig and candied orange zest, and some nice herbal savouriness. Juicy, cherry, subtle sweet fruit, with integrated tannins, fine nougat, and some minerality. It is long, and it is an elegant food wine for early drinking.

92 POINTS

Neal Martin - Vinous

The 2017 Bellefont-Belcier matured in 40% new oak for 20 months. This has a well-defined bouquet with perfumed blackberry, boysenberry and crushed violet aromas, one of the purest that I have encountered in recent vintages. The palate builds on the promise it showed from barrel, fleshy with gentle grip, lightly spiced with a touch of black pepper towards the finish. There is good potential here, although I would afford it five or six years in bottle.