Very attractive plum and cherry aromas with hints of flowers and wet earth, following through to a medium to full body with linear, polished tannins and a juicy finish. Juicy fruit to finish with some minerality and forest-flower undertones. A little tight, but very pure at the end. Drink after 2025.

A beautiful, elegant Saint-Emilion that will be loved by both modernists and traditionalists out there, the 2019 Château Bellefont-Belcier comes from a south-facing, limestone terroir just beside Château Pavie and Larcis Ducasse. A blend of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and the rest Cabernet Sauvignon, it starts out reticent and understated yet builds beautifully with time in the glass and has wonderful cassis and black raspberry fruits intermixed with notes of truffle, tobacco, damp earth, and violets. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has silky tannins, perfect overall balance, and a great finish. It's not a powerhouse, but it shines for its purity, finesse, and elegance. Drink bottles over the coming 15-20 years or so.

A vintage that shows a resurgence of quality at this Grand Cru Classé that slightly slipped under the radar for a few years. Now owned by Peter Kwok, and overseen by his talented winemaking team, this is well built and muscular, and needs another four or five years in bottle. The fruit is dark and sleek, very much majoring of cassis and blueberry, with black pepper tight chocolate curls and smoked tobacco leaf. 40% new oak, 3.7pH.

Flowers, dark chocolate, cherries, black raspberries, smoke and licorice permeate the perfume. On the palate, the wine is fresh, silky and vibrant, with a sweetness to the red fruits, minerality, chalky tannins and cocoa nuances that linger long after the wine has left the glass. Drink from 2024-2037.

From a beautifully situated hillside vineyard, sandwiched between Larcis Ducasse and Tertre Roteboeuf on either side, with holdings belonging to Pavie and Troplong Mondot on the plateau above, the 2019 Bellefont Belcier has turned out very well indeed. Offering up aromas of smoky berry fruit, loamy soil, subtle spices, black truffle and violets, it's full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with a vibrant, enveloping profile and a long, penetrating finish. This is a terrific effort, though given the thoughtful farming and program of replanting that is underway at this long-neglected estate, I suspect it only hints at what is to come as Jean-Christophe Meyrou and his team get to work. - William Kelley

The 2019 Bellefont Belcier is delineated and focused on the nose with pure blackberry, briary, crushed stone and cedar scents, the oak here nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, cohesive and smooth, blackberry and white pepper tinged with cedar towards the finish. This sashays along in style, and it is very promising. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. -- Neal Martin

(92–94 points) Barrel Sample. This rich wine offers dense layers of juicy black fruit alongside an accent of chocolate and dense tannins. It's concentrated and firm while still hinting at the vintage's freshness. There's good aging potential here. — Roger Voss

The 2019 Bellefont-Belcier is composed of 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with cedar and clove oil scents over a core of plum pudding, blackberry preserves, and lavender. The palate is medium to full-bodied, rich, and spicy, with chewy tannins and a long spicy finish.