Château Belle-Brise Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2008

Belle-Brise is made up of about 2 hectares of 60+ year old vines (80% Merlot andamp; 20% Cabernet Franc) farmed organically in the southwestern corner of Pomerol. These are planted on the typically dense clay soils of the appellation with an unusually high concentration of pebbles andamp; gravel. Atypically for Bordeaux of this caliber, the wines are fermented with native yeasts without temperature control in large concrete vats and aged in 400L oak barrels, only 1/3 of which are new. Production levels here are about the same as the legendary (and legendarily hard to acquire) Le Pin andndash; about 800 cases per vintage. The wines are mostly sold directly to private clients and to some of the best restaurants in France and Japan, which explains their extremely limited presence in the US market. You won't find any tasting notes on any of the wines from any of the major critics, though we found a quick writeup on the property from Neal Martin, by all accounts one of the foremost authorities on Pomerol, calling Belle-Brise andldquo;Pomerol's most mysterious cru.andrdquo; He further goes on to describe the wines of Henry Bruno de Coincy, who has owned the property since 1991, as andldquo;demonstrating a Burgundy-like allureandhellip;a cross between Le Pin and Chambolle-Musigny.andrdquo; The 2008 is defined by its brightness, spice and elegance. It is firmly on the red-fruited end of the spectrum,andnbsp;with nicely resolved tannins and is already drinking beautifully. Theandnbsp;Chambolleandnbsp;comparisons seemed especially apt for this vintage.

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