Our estate in Saint-Émilion

Our family have been wine experts for decades. My mother, Claude de Labarre (born Fourcaud Laussac), bought the Château Lapagnotte-Bellevue in 1990 when she was still co-owner and manager of the Château Cheval Blanc.
In 1996, after having studied viticulture and oenology, I came into the estate. Today, my wife and I are in charge of this magnificent property. You will find on this site a full description of our wines. However, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

Saint Emilion Vin Bio Agriculture biologique


Gite Laplagnotte

The estate also offers a charming cottage for rent, the Gîte Laplagnotte, located just 50 meters from the Château.

Our
estate

Château Laplagnotte Bellevue

The renovation work on our estate has been completed by my father, Henry de Labarre.

ESTATE HISTORY

The first mention of the château Laplagnotte Bellevue vineyard appears in the second edition of Cock’s book, which was completely revised by Édouard Féret in 1868.

The vineyard was producing between six to ten barrels at the time, which means that it existed long before this date. In the following decades, the estate got bigger, and in 1954 the parents of the previous owners did one last alteration. The total surface of the vineyard has not changed since then: we have 6.09ha.

The Château Laplagnotte Bellevue has been owned by Henry and Claude de Labarre (née Fourcaud Laussac) since 3rd March 1990, and they have since been passionately devoted to it.

WORKING METHOD

Whether it is in our fields or in our wineries, our working method remains traditional: I am an organic wine producer.
However, we also move with the times and have powerful tools for our vineyards and the winery.

The passion I felt for organic wine increased, and I decided to use the biodynamic method. The 2017 vintage was the first one to be certified by Demeter.

The aging is done in barrels for one year, with 25% new oak barrels.

Our
wines

Chateau Laplagnotte-Bellevue Saint Emilion

Chateau Laplagnotte-Bellevue
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

Château Laplagnotte-Bellevue

Location
3 km north of Saint-Émilion
Process
Bio, switch to biodynamy in 2017
Harvest
Manual sorting with severe quality control
Winemaking
In concrete tanks thermo-regulated
Vatting time of 20 to 25 days
Malolactic fermentation in concrete vats
Aging
25 % new barrels (from 3 different coopers)
The remainder in barrels of one and two years old
Grapes
Merlot 75%, cabernet franc 25%
Soil
Sandy clay with traces of iron pan
Tillage by plough
Area
5.5 ha
Production
30000 bottles
Average age of vines
30 years
Planting density
6000 vines/ha
Vine performance
47 hl/ha

Dowload technical sheet

Notes & Comments

2019 - La Revue du vin de France (RVF N°659)
92/100. Bien ouvert et accessible, le 2019 séduit immédiatement. L'harmonie et la finesse juteuse posent les bases d'un Saint-Émilion moderne, étoffé, complexe et salin, produit en biodynamie.
Dégusté au 1er trimestre 2022.
Dans ce même numéro, le millésime 2010 était également commenté ainsi : Un 2010 expressif et très mûr, au caractère massif, peu précis, avec une pointe balsamique et encore un peu de fraîcheur.
2019 - Yves Beck
92/100. Bouquet subtil et frais. Il affiche un caractère crayeux ainsi que des nuances de griottes et de feuilles de tabac. Laplagnotte-Bellevue est vif et juteux. Il est soutenu par une structure acide aiguisée et rafraîchissante, tandis que ses tannins veloutés assurent une puissance fiable et prometteuse. La fraîcheur est omniprésente et parfaitement relatée par la finale. Belle réussite. 2024-2039.
Dégusté le 17/01/2022.
2018 - Yves Beck
92/100. Caractère invitant, légèrement confit, dans ce bouquet où je relève des notes de cassis et de pruneaux. Je remarque également de rafraîchissantes notes de menthe poivrée. Attaque charmante, fruitée, reflétant bien les caractéristiques olfactives. Le vin est équilibré, doté de tannins aux grains fins et d'une bonne intensité aromatique jusqu'en finale. Une belle réussite. 2023-2038.
Dégusté le 20/11/2020.
2018 - Markus del Monego
92/100. Dark purple colour with violet hue and black core. Opulent nose with distinct roasting aroma reminiscent of dark chocolate and moka, backed with ripe fruit, blackberries, blackcurrants and prunes. Hints of vanilla and mild spices in the background. On the palate well structured and balanced with ripe tannins, juicy fruit, mild spices ans very convincing lenght and depth.
2018 - James Suckling
91/100. Aromas of currants, crushed berries and fresh violets with blackcurrant-leaf and lemon-zest notes. It's medium to full bodied with firm tannins. From organically grown grapes. Try from 2023.
2016 - Vinous, Antonio Galloni
Bold, racy and quite juicy, all while maintaining a mid-weight personality. Floral and spice notes lift the super-ripe red berry fruit effortlessly in this polished Saint-Émilion. The 2016 will drink well with minimal cellaring.
Score : 92/100
2016 - Le Point
16,5/20. Fruits rouges, souligné par un boisé blond, bouche vive, fraîche, tanins fins, du fruit, de la tension, équilibré et savoureux.
2016 - Yves Beck
Robes profondes aux reflets violets. Bouquet élégant, aux notes fruitées et minérales. En bouche, le vin est équilibré et frais. Il est doté de tanins bien ronds et d’une élégante structure qui assure la fraîcheur jusqu’en fin de bouche. Finale fruitée.
2020-2030 90/100
2015 - Concours
Médaille d'or au concours des vins bio de Nouvelles Aquitaine 2018
Fourcaud Laussac Saint Emilion

Fourcaud Laussac
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru - Selection

Fourcaud Laussac

Location
3 km north from Saint-Émilion
Process
Bio, switch to biodynamy in 2017
Harvest
Manual sorting with severe quality control.
Winemaking
In stainless steel tank thermo regulated.
Fermentation of 25 to 28 days.
Malolactic fermentation in new barrels.
Aging
100 % new barrels (from 3 different coopers)
18 month
Grapes
Merlot 80%, cabernet franc 20%
Soil
Sandy clay with traces of iron pan
Tillage by plough
Area
0.5 ha
Production
2000 bottles
Average age of the vines
40 years
Planting density
6000 vines/ha
Vine performance
35 hl/ha

Download technical sheet

Notes & Comments

2019 - Guide Hachette - 1 étoile
Ce vin vinifié avec peu de souffre délivre des notes de fruits rouges et de violette avec aussi quelques touches de cuir et de viande fumée. La maturité est indéniable, l'élégance de mise, avec une belle mâche et une bonne longueur. On note toutefois quelques notes animales qui ne feront pas l'unanimité.
2019 - En magnum - 92/100 Réussite exceptionnelle
Le plus complet des vins de la dégustation porte fièrement le nom de la famille qui a fondé la réputation du Château Cheval Blanc. Beau nez sur les fruits noirs, grande vinosité, élevage luxueux, ni excessif ni aguicheur, grande suite en bouche. Il ne fait que commencer sa longue carrière.
2015 - Guide Hachette des vins - Deux étoiles
Un vin à la robe d’un bordeaux profond, au nez gorgé de fruits rouges et de baies noires bien mûrs, soutenu par un fin boisé. La bouche se montre intense, savoureuse et fraîche, soutenue par des tannins de qualité qui permettront une heureuse évolution

Recent
vintages

2020

Just amazing!!
There was a very high risk of disease until the beginning of July. Then we had a very dry summer. Biodynamics worked very well and we finally got a very very good result. The end of the summer was very dry and windy which led us to reach only 35hl/ha. Not that bad... and the wine is very powerful with a high potential for the years to come!


2019

A rather classical year from a meteorological point of view. The growing process went very well and we got high-quality grapes. No storms at the end of the summer. A good vintage with quality and quantity. We were very happy with a very good production. What a relief for the domain!


2018

Exceptional vintage which was unfortunately victim of a late blight.
The yield is only 20 hl / hectare for this delicious nectar.


2017

A very bad start of the season with a frost on April 27!
Indeed, the final yield is only 12 hl / hectare.
The wine is very aromatic and we can begin to drink it in its youth.


2016

A very difficult start to the season with lots of diseases due to humidity.
July and August were exceptionally dry, and quite mild, with little rain in September, which allowed the vines to produce very juicy and tasty grapes. The beautiful Indian Summer allowed us to harvest late (October 4) for optimal maturity. It is an exceptional vintage, both in terms of quality and quantity.


2015

A very beautiful vintage was offered to us by Mother Nature!
The beginning of the season was marked by a fairly high disease pressure, so we were worried. But then, the bloom became very homogeneous thanks to sunny and mild weather. The summer was rather dry and mild with small periods of heat to cheer us up. The vine was not late in its cycle and we started the grape harvest on September 21st and finished it on October 2nd with the Cabernet Franc.


2014

A much better start to the season than in 2013 (it was not difficult).
However, the summer period was not perfect, but rather gloomy. At the end of August, we began to worry. The months of September and October were particularly dry and sunny, which meant we were able to catch up with the maturity of the grapes and dry the vineyards.
We harvested from September 29 for Merlots and October 6 for Cabernets, with a result of 47 hl / ha (maximum yield allowed that year: 50 hl / ha).


2013

A very difficult year.
The cold and chaotic spring gave us a lot of shot berries: not all the flowers were fertilized and we lost a lot of harvest.
The bad weather came back in September and we had to start the harvest on October 5th. The final yield is 23 hl / ha, which is as little as 2009 when we had hail!
2013 is still a surprising vintage, to drink in its youth.


2012

A very wet and rather fresh start to the season meant we were not very optimistic about a good harvest. The weather improved significantly from July 20 with a small heat wave in August and drier weather.
The harvest was very late, we were able to wait for optimal maturity. We collected everything in the week of October 8th and the yield is rather low with 39 hl / ha.


2011

The desired yield is finally here; namely 46 hl / ha.
The harvest began on September 14th and ended on the 21st. It was once again a rather dry weather that conditioned this vintage; the rain happily arrived in July to help the vine in its physiological process.
It was hard to do as well as the 2010 which was an incredible year, but the 2011 vintage remains beautiful.


2010

It is a very remarkable year!
The production was only 38 hl / ha because we had a fairly dry weather all year round. Flowering was very homogeneous. Harvested from 5th to 7th October for the Merlot and 11th and 12th for the Cabernet.
It is a dense, fruity wine with a soft and elegant mouth, but it will be necessary to be patient to fully appreciate this vintage (2016).

Contact us

Complete the captcha

Château Laplagnotte Bellevue

33330 St Christophe des Bardes
France
Phone: +33 5 57 24 78 67
Fax: +33 5 57 24 63 62
Mobile: +33 6 15 42 31 88
Email: arnaud@laplagnotte.com
Follow us on Facebook

Access

Saint-Émilion 2 km, Libourne 10 km, Bordeaux 45 km, Bergerac 45 km
GPS coordinates: 44°54'33.72"N, 0°7'56.11"O
See on Google Maps

Crédits

Art director : Jean-Michel Le Saux
Photography : Jean-Michel Le Saux - Photography
Webdesign, animation, development : Pascal Antoinet