Val Beylie 2015 “Plaisir”

PRODUCER INFO

• This small hillside estate is situated in Merignas, just across the Dordogne river from the Saint Emilion appellation boundary. While the soil and climate here are essentially the same as Merignas’ famous neighbor to the North, the culture cannot be different. Upon pulling up to the Chateau entrance expect to see children jumping on a trampoline, wooden swings cleverly wedged between Acacia trees, hand-sewn clothes drying in the sun, and pets of all shapes and sizes bounding about. The vines here may not be perfectly manicured, but they are pulsing with life – The air is loud with insect calls and flowers of all colors shoot up from the wild grass below the estate’s organically farmed vines.
• Christophe Pont runs all aspects of this operation with his own bare hands. The ten acre spread of Val Beylie is large enough to feed the family and small enough to avoid the need for employees – Just the right size for a man driven to keep life simple and fulfilling
• Wines are fermented and cellared in the 18th century winery adjacent to Christophe’s house and being restored using timber harvested from the Eastern edge of the property.

ABOUT THE WINE

• While Christophe’s first vintages were aged in barrique, we are loving his new “sans chêne” approach. You end up with a naked example of Merlot where you can smell and taste the dense clay soil that makes Beylie’s terroir special.
• Organically grown grapes from estate vineyards owned by Christophe Pont.
• ‘Plaisir’ means “pleasure” in English.

Vintage: 2015 | Wine Type: Red Wine
Varietal: 100% Merlot
Origin: France | Appellation: Bordeaux Rouge AOC, (estate grown and bottled)
Elaboration: Grapes are hand picked in small boxes for delivery to the winery. Grapes are fermented with native yeast in stainless steel tanks and left on the skins for two weeks the topped up and conserved.
Conservation: Unoaked, aged in stainless steel for the winter and spring then bottled before next harvest.
Winemaker:  Christophe Pont 

TASTING NOTES

Deep purple color with clean, fruit forward nose, smooth in the mouth with red berry candied fruit with hints of smoke and good acidity, nice and balanced on the finish.

TECHNICAL DATA

Production: 500 cases | Alcohol: 14% | TA: 3.25 g/l | Residual Sugar: <2 g/l | pH: 3.58

PRESS & POINTS

2014 – 91 Points, WineX