| Bélair 2004 • September 2005 | BELAIR
1er Grand Cru Classé
Since 1954
2004 Vintage
Situation and surface area:
12 hectares of which 45% are on clay-limestone
slopes and 55% on the asteria limestone plateau, facing south-east/south.
Grape varieties :
80% Merlot :
- 20% on clay : giving power
- 20% on molasse : giving breed
- 40% on the limestone plateau : giving finesse
20% Cabernet Franc :
- On silt, sand and limestone
Density of plantation :
6,000 plants per hectare
Average age of the vines :
35 years
2004 vintage :
Maintenance of the vineyard based on tried and tested traditional methods.
Great care and attention shown in the treatment of vineyard diseases. Respectful of the vine’s natural balances. Ecodynamic.
The almond tree flowered on February 8, two weeks in advance and strangely continued to flower until March 19. We didn’t get one single fruit.
The bud-break in the vineyard began on March 28. After light hail on May 6, and then a long spell of hot weather from mid-May to mid-June, the flowering began on May 29.
The vines were very healthy. At the beginning of July, there was some evidence of minor outbreaks of powdery mildew. The colour change began on July 26.
The weather conditions in August were not particularly favourable. Outbreaks of downy mildew could be observed on some of the younger shoots. These were quickly treated by a little copper and an organic application of sorrel. September was quite sunny with drought conditions in the soil setting in, putting the vines under slight stress. Light showers around the middle of September alleviated the situation and helped the ripening process to be completed. A very small number of outbreaks of rot could be observed, which were quickly eradicated by the sunshine and wind.
The grapes were perfectly healthy as the picking began on October 2 for the Merlot on the slope, and October 9 for the Merlot on the plateau and about October 11 for the Cabernet Franc.
Our new vat cellar with its very small-sized vats allowed us to carry out an even more selective plot by plot vinification.
The fermentation got going with indigenous yeasts and was completed without any problems. Our new punching-down system, using endless screws, enables the cap of skins to be slowly plunged into the juice and to achieve a continuous and intense extraction during the pre-fermentation stage and also at the beginning of the fermentation. The cap of skins is then soaked by gravity (rather than doing a pumping over), which results in an extraction combining both intensity and finesse.
The malo-lactic fermentation was done in separate small vats. The wine was then racked into barrels in individual batches during the first week in November.
The wine took on the new oak quite quickly making it a touch hard, possibly on account of the conditions during the seasoning of the staves in the open air in the very dry summer of 2003.
Today, these wines are very rich in fruit and in aromatic complexity ; they have good backbone with a well-knit structure and good length on the palate.
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