Château Laplagnotte-Bellevue
A family Grand Cru on the Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes plateau. Merlot and Cabernet Franc express a classical style, shaped by careful work in the vineyard and cellar.
History
Three kilometres north of Saint-Émilion, in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, Château Laplagnotte-Bellevue grows 5.4 hectares of Saint-Émilion Grand Cru. A sandy-clay plateau lies over chalky clay-limestone with an iron-rich layer known as crasse de fer. The vineyard is mainly Merlot, with Cabernet Franc, and vines averaging around thirty years of age. Claude de Labarre, née Fourcaud Laussac, acquired the château in 1990, while she was co-owner and manager of Cheval Blanc. This is a family and historical connection. Her son Arnaud joined in 1996 after studying viticulture and oenology; he now runs the estate with his wife. The family credits Henry de Labarre with the cellar renovations. Organic certification dates to 2012 and Demeter to 2017. Grapes are harvested and sorted by hand, fermented in temperature-controlled concrete vats, and aged for a year in French oak, one quarter new. The barrel cellar has chandeliers made from green bottle glass; clay amphorae are used for single-plot trials. Family tradition and experimentation sit side by side.
Terroir
Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes forms part of Saint-Émilion’s limestone plateau. Sand, clay, limestone and crasse de fer underlie vines around thirty years old. The documented style is a generous, classical Grand Cru with dark fruit, coffee and firm ripe tannins, retaining freshness. The cellar’s green bottle-glass chandeliers and experimental amphorae reflect both tradition and curiosity.
Winemaking
Hand harvesting and sorting, fermentation in temperature-controlled concrete vats. The supplied sheet describes twelve months in French oak, one quarter new.