Notify me
2014 Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Belles-GravesLalande-de-Pomerol has much in common with its more distinguished neighbor, Pomerol. With the area's mosaic of different soils and subtle changes in slope and aspect, there is more variation within either appellation than between the two. This plethora of micro-terroirs is what gives each chateau's wine a unique signature. Belles-Graves is the epitome of a "classic" Bordeaux estate-that is, the Château produces wines of subtlety, depth, complexity, and age-ability that consistently reflect the terroir from which they are born. At Belles-Graves, it's all about the gravel: you feel it crunching under your feet when you step out of the car, you see it in the vineyards, and you taste it in the wine. These small stones conserve the day's heat, allowing the fruit-Merlot with a touch of old-vine Cabernet Franc-to ripen fully each year. This gives Belles-Graves a plump roundness on the palate and a silky façade to the muscular spine concealed within. Soft and refined, it can be appreciated in its youth, while the powerful structure lurking beneath promises a bright future in your cellar.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2014 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 88% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc |
Appellation: | Lalande-de-Pomerol |
Country: | France |
Region: | Bordeaux |
Producer: | Château Belles-Graves |
Winemaker: | Xavier Piton |
Vineyard: | 40 years avg, 16.9 |
Soil: | Clay, Gravel |
Aging: | Wine is raised in French oak barrels, 25% of which is new, for twelve to fifteen months |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region
2016 Lalande-de-Pomerol
France | Bordeaux
A generous wine dominated by ripe black fruit with very supple, approachable tannins
2017 Lalande-de-Pomerol
France | Bordeaux
A generous wine dominated by ripe black fruit with very supple, approachable tannins.
2019 Pomerol
France | Bordeaux
The incredible depth, power, and fine but grippingly youthful tannins are text-book Pomerol.
2009 Vin de France Blanc “Héréthique”
France | Bordeaux
Honeyed, richly fruity, and boasting a fascinating smoky complexity, this decadent dessert wine is truly stunning.
2020 Bordeaux Blanc “Les Joualles”
France | Bordeaux
Ripe and opulent, this cuvée further blossoms with an hour in a decanter.
2014 Pomerol
France | Bordeaux
An exceptional right bank Bordeaux beauty–perfectly aged for you to consume during the holidays.
2021 Bordeaux Blanc “Les Joualles”
France | Bordeaux
Ripe and opulent, this cuvée further blossoms with an hour in a decanter.
2022 Sauternes
France | Bordeaux
Cap off your holiday feast with a glass of this heavenly Sauternes to experience pure luxury on the palate…
2020 Atlantique Blanc “Déclinaison”
France | Bordeaux
Artisanal white Bordeaux like you have never tasted before!
2017 Pomerol
France | Bordeaux
The incredible depth, power, and fine but grippingly youthful tannins are text-book Pomerol
About The Producer
Château Belles-Graves
About The Region
Bordeaux
Often considered the wine capital of the world, Bordeaux and its wines have captured the minds, hearts, and wallets of wine drinkers for centuries. For many, the wines provide an inalienable benchmark against which all other wines are measured.
Bordeaux is divided into three winegrowing regions with the city that gives the region its name in the near geographical center. The “right bank,” or the area located east of the Dordogne River, produces wines that are predominantly Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The “left bank” is located to the west of the Garonne River and produces wines dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
The third region, Entre-Deux-Mers, lies between both rivers and produces white wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle. Though technically in the left bank, it is worth noting the appellation of Sauternes, which produces arguably the world’s most famous sweet wines from Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon, and Muscadelle as well.
Though many top Bordeaux wines are sold en primeur (in advance of their bottling) and often through a middleman known as a negoçiant, Kermit has always preferred to purchase directly from the winemaker. For more than three decades he has sought out small producers, who make classic Bordeaux wines and are willing to play outside the negoçiant system. This ethic has led to longstanding relationships, excellent prices, and perhaps most important—wines of great value and longevity.
More from Bordeaux or France
2021 Bordeaux Blanc “Les Joualles”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2017 Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Belles-Graves France | Bordeaux
2020 Fronsac “Les Piverts”
Chateau Moulin France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes HALF BOTTLE
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2017 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2020 Atlantique Blanc “Déclinaison”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2015 Haut-Médoc
Château Aney France | Bordeaux
2010 Canon-Fronsac
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux
2016 Canon-Fronsac
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux
2020 Bordeaux Sec “Les Clous”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2020 Sauternes
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2021 Bordeaux Blanc “Les Joualles”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2017 Lalande-de-Pomerol
Château Belles-Graves France | Bordeaux
2020 Fronsac “Les Piverts”
Chateau Moulin France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2022 Sauternes HALF BOTTLE
Château Roûmieu-Lacoste France | Bordeaux
2017 Pomerol
Château Gombaude-Guillot France | Bordeaux
2020 Atlantique Blanc “Déclinaison”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2015 Haut-Médoc
Château Aney France | Bordeaux
2010 Canon-Fronsac
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux
2016 Canon-Fronsac
Château Moulin Pey-Labrie France | Bordeaux
2020 Bordeaux Sec “Les Clous”
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
2020 Sauternes
Domaine de l’Alliance France | Bordeaux
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch