Our Tasting Impressions
Jean-Louis' Pope Rouge has stolen our hearts in 2015. There is just so much intense, lively and ripe fruit! You really get the impression that it is a true and pure expression of the wonderful, old-vine terroir. Maybe the 2014 has a touch more precision but this one gets the nod for utter deliciousness.
About this wine
Sixty percent Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay from vines up to 80 years old planted in granite soil with yields of 50 hl/ha.
The juice of each grape is extracted through a pneumatic press, then separately vinified in steel tanks 15-18 days at controlled temperatures with pumping over twice a day. The wine is racked and filtered for sediment. Each vat is tasted and only the best selected. Three-quarters is aged in local Allier oak barrels (new and old) and the rest in tanks before blending and bottling.
About the grape blend
AOP Saint Pourcain requires reds to blend Gamay and Pinot Noir. Gamay (or fully Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc), a descendent of Pinot Noir crossed with the obscure Gouais Blanc, produces wine high in acidity and is therefore very flexible.
Pinot Noir is an ancient grape from eastern France. Notoriously challenging, it thrives in cooler climates. It can be very transparent because of its lightness and flavors of red fruit and earth.
About the vintage
Jean Louis reports that 2015 produced ripe, healthy grapes. Overall, it was a fine vintage.
Suggested Glassware: Grassl Liberté
Domaine de Bellevue produces about 120,000 bottles annually from its 22 hectare estate. But everything else about it seems small and intimate.
The Pétillat family owned and operated the Domaine for four generations. Several years ago, Jean-Louis sold the estate to Jacques Gautier but continued to manage the estate and winemaking. Jean-Louis retired last year and Jacques has installed a new vigneron.
Legend has it that Saint-Pourçain is France's oldest vineyard. There is evidence of Roman winemaking here as early as 50 BCE. In the middle ages, Saint-Pourçain was one of the most respected and sought after wines in France. Kings and Popes enjoyed them. Some believe the wines were more highly prized than Burgundy.
Classified as part of the Loire Valley despite being on the far southeast outskirts (not far from Macon in Burgundy). The appellation was granted AOC status in 2009. There are less than 20 growers here.
