Country: | France |
Region: | Bordeaux |
Winery: | Font du Jeu (Chateau) |
Grape Type: | Merlot |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2015 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Vieilles Vignes 2020 is 65% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc.
Average age of the vines is 40 years old.
The wine offers a rich and intense bouquet of blackcurrant, blackberry and strawberry.
It is smooth and full in the mouth with a velvety texture. Acidity combined with firm but well-integrated tannins are a fine supporting cast to the black fruit flavors at the end.
Bernardins Beaumes de Venise Rouge Cru Cotes du Rhone is made from 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Grenache Blanc.
Bright ruby color with cherry tinges. Complex black fruit aromas on the nose enhanced by spicy notes. Rounded palate with good length.
The wine is drinking well right now and can be kept for another 10 years.
Situation
Spreads out over the south-east side of the Dentelles de Montmirail hills, in Beaumes de Venise in the southern part of the Rhone valley.
Terroir
On a poor sandy, hungry and arid soil consisting of tender limestone and gritty zones of sandy mollasse.
In the vineyard
The vineyards and their terroir are the essence of our wines. This is where everything starts and where we focus our efforts throughout the year. You can’t make great wine without great grapes.
The viticulture is essentially done by hand. Five people work full-time in the vineyards. They are supplemented by seasonal employees who work during bunch thinning and the harvest in order to bring out the very best in our vines. Working by hand and the attention each vine gets are fundamental. Pruning, de-budding, trellising, leaf removal and picking are thus carried out by hand with the utmost care.
We prepare the soil by using good old-fashioned ploughing. Organic compost is made from grape marc (the discarded stalks and skins).
As a way of protecting the plants, we only use phytosanitary products when necessary and within strict guidelines by staggering the treatments appropriately, to minimise the amount of chemicals used. We prefer to use as much as possible manual and organic techniques . Leaving natural grass cover, removing buds and leaves from the vines, preserving biodiversity around the vineyard: olive, almond and cypress trees, wild rosemary and capers.
Winemaking
We make two red wines at the estate. Terroir wines shaped by the two classic Côtes du Rhône varieties: Grenache and Syrah. We don’t follow any winemaking recipe but are constantly searching for the perfect expression of terroir and each vintage’s particular characteristics. We don’t go for overripe grapes and over-extraction, as we think the wine has to stay refreshing and balanced.
Leaving the wine for 15 days in concrete vats, we try to gently extract the tannins and anthocyanins essential for the wine’s structure and colour. The wine doesn’t come into any contact with wood during ageing. This way the characteristics of our terroir can fully express
Serve with a meal especially red meat, game and cheese.
Review:
"Interesting blend, and it comes through on the nose - it's a fruity, floral style of Beaumes that's really appealing. Full-bodied, rounded, generous and fluid, with very fine tannins. This is a real success in 2021. Also contains 5% Mourvèdre and 4% Grenache Blanc. No destemming, aged 12 months in stainless steel."
- Decanter (September 2022), 93 pts
Bourdieu Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux is made from 87% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc.
Chateau Bourdieu Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux offers a beautiful red ruby color deep and intense. It exhales red fruits and blackcurrant aromas, completed by notes of redcurrant. The mouthfeel is round and juicy, with a smooth, well integrated tannins that offers a nice structure and a long finish.
Perfect with a magret de canard (duck breast) or a filet of beef.
Review:
"Brooding blackcurrant, black cherry and cassis combine beautifully with fine tobacco and cedar notes. Persistent and concentrated with satin tannins and supporting acidity. Long and finessed."
-Decanter, (July 2024), Gold Medal - 95 points
Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc is made from 50% Sauvignon Blanc and 50% Semillion.
Le Blanc du Chateau des Landes Bordeaux Blanc is a very fruity style of Bordeaux Blanc AOC. It has great aromatic intensity with white peach and citrus aromas.
No oak for this wine. The wine was aged on the lees for a few month in stainless steel tank.
Malolactic fermentation was completed as well in the process .
Excellent as an aperitif, it also goes very well with poultry and salads. If you have a chance to have access to fresh oyters, it is a great match as well.
The first vintage of this wine was made in 2018 as Nicolas Lassagne wanted to create an easy drinking wine that will be perfect as an aperitif in the summer time or to compliment salads and seafood in the winter time.
Alain Jaume Cotes Du Rhone Rouge Haut de Brun is made from 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault
The colour is purple-tinged garnet.The aromatic range of the nose goes from fresh berries (wild raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry) to spices.The palate is big and full-flavoured, with silky-smooth tannins and aromas of the fruit already mentioned. The finish introduces touches of liquorice and pepper. A Côtes du Rhône with great complexity for an every day drinking.
A classic Rhône to drink between 1 and 4 years. Best poured at 17°C.
Traditional wine making and ageing is performed in vats only. Bottling after 10-12 months.
Ideal throughout the meal, but particularly with poultry and other white meats, as well as mild cheeses.
Bellevue Cotes de Bordeaux-Castillon Cé Ma Cuvée is made from 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc
The wine is made with 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Average age of the vines is 50 years old (everything is between 40 and 60 years old).
Cé Ma Cuvée is a tribute from Michel Lydoire to his 2 daughters:
Cé is for Céline. She is like the Merlot grape varietal. Pleasant and calm.
Ma is for Marina. She is like the Cabernet Franc grape varietal. Tough and with a lot of character.
The color is deep and inky.
The nose is spicy, fruity and oaky with some nice vanilla and coconut aromas.
The mouthfeel is complex, with ripe red and black fruit flavors. Some spiciness and integrated oak flavors.
The wine starts as the Vieilles vignes, but some wine is aged in 500-liter American Oak Barrels for 18 months.
They are using a mix of different toastiness for the barrels. Some high toast and some are medium toast.
This is a fun wine that can be enjoyed with any food, charbroil burgers, grilled vegetables, cheeses ... or even with dark chocolate desserts.
Font du Jeu Cotes de Bordeaux is made of 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc,10% Cabernet Sauvignon
The nose is filled with blackberry and blackcurrant fruits, licorice and vanillin. Medium-bodied with a solid texture of dark fruit, roasted coffee, and spice flavors. Long finish.
Traditional vinification in small tanks. Four week maceration. Aging in 2-3 year old oak barrels for 16 months. No fining, no filtration.
great with "Entrecote a la Bordelaise" which is Beef Steak marinated in red wine with Shallots.
Review:
The 2015 Font du Jeu Cotes de Castillon offers ample dark fruits, plums, and leafy herbs notes to go with a frontend-loaded, textured profile that’s ready to go. A blend of 70% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in used barrels, it’s a terrific value and will offer plenty of pleasure over the coming 5-7 years. - Jeb Dunnuck 90 Points
The Chateau Font du Jeu Estate
This current owners Helene and Frederic Lapeyronie represent the fourth generation of winemakers in the family. Frederic is the vineyard manager, Helene is the winemaker. She also teaches viticulture and enology in Saint Emilion.
The Chateau Font du Jeu Vineyard
The estate, which belonged to Frederic's family, is located on a 2.5 hectare vineyard (6.2 acres) in Côtes de Castillon AOC, on a slope situated at 86 meters above sea level, with southern sun exposure.
The soil is a mix of clay and limestone. The average age of the vines is 40 years old. The vineyard is planted to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
They also have 2.5 hectares (6.2 acres) in Côtes de Francs AOC, on a slope situated at 77 meters above sea level. The soil is a mix of clay and limestone. The average age of the vines is 35 years old.
The vineyard is farmed using culture raisonée method, guyot double, disbudding, thinning out of the leaves, and fertilization. Manual harvest. Only the best grapes are selected. Production: 2,200 cases.
Pommeau de Normandie a mistel type of beverage. Same process as Floc de Gascogne, Pineau des Charentes and Ratafia de Champagne.
It is made with 2/3 Unfermented sweet fruit juice (apple and pear) with 1/3 distilled alcohol at 51% ABV (Calvados).
Excellent with desert, such as French crepes (very thin pancakes).
Mordoree Cotes du Rhone Dame Rousse Rose is made from 40% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, 5% Carignan, 5% Mourvèdre
Color : rosé, slightly orange (mordorée colour).
Aromas : crystallized oranges and cherries, slightly aniseed.
Palate : very rounded, fresh and long finish.
Ageing potential : 2 to 3 years
Surface : 14 Ha. Yield : 45 Hl./Ha. Vineyard age : 20 years Terroir : clay / chalk,clay / limestone and sandy with pebble stones. Harvest : by hand. Vinification : vat bleeding, temperature control. Estate bottled.
Food pairing: cold meats and delicatessen, fowl, white meats, grilled lamb with Provence herbs, fish soup, fried fish, pastas, pizzas and all Asian dishes.
Review:
"This rosé appears so pretty in the glass with its watermelon hue and presents a refreshing summery nose. Find notes of watermelon slices and yellow peaches sprinkled with sea salt. Think of pairings similar to prosciutto-wrapped melon. This is a solid rosé to enjoy all summer long."
- Wine Enthusiast (May 2023), 91 pts
Croix Senaillet Macon-Davaye is 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pale brilliant yellow color. Fresh nose of citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit). Mineral and salty notes on the palate. Fresh, supple and harmonious in the mouth.
Produced from 7 different parcels of vines spread over 3.77 hectares, planted on clay and limestone based soils. Average age of the vine is 28 years. Careful vinification. Minimal intervention in the vinification process. Modern equipment (pneumatic press, thermo-regulated tanks). Each parcel is harvested at full maturity. Destemming, slow press, slow fermentation, malolactic fermentation, aging on the lees.
Excellent as an aperitif and pairs well with grilled fish and Asian food.