Chateau Beaumont

The History

Cleared in 1772 from the moorlands and heather, the estate became the property of Henri Labarthe, who drained it to grow vines. From 1830 to 1847 the estate belonged to Marquis d’Aligre, one of France’s richest men, who tripled the area of the vineyards.

In 1849 the estate passed into the hands of the Bonnin brothers, who had the chateau built in 1854. In 1860 the Comte de Gennes bought the property and then sold it in 1872 to Jean-Victor Herran, Minister for Honduras.

Then the Parisian industrialist Joseph Germain succeeded him in 1890 and raised the wines to the status of one of the leaders in the Cru Bourgeois Superieurs of Medoc, and he also constructed the vat-house in 1894.

From 1925 to 1986 the estate passed successively from the Della Grazia company of Milan to Lieutenant Colonel Ignacio Andrade, to the former Venezuelan senator Dionisio Ramon Bolivar Carvajal, and then to Bernard Soulas, who entirely redeveloped the vineyard and restored the chateau.

In 1986 the Groupe GMF arrived and joined together by Japanese group Suntory to create the Societe Grands Millesimes de France, which also owned Chateau Beychevelle and wine-trading company Barriere Freres. Now GMF is owned by Castel and Suntory Groups.

The Vineyard

Positioned on the left bank of the Garonne, between St-Julien and Margaux, it has deep gravel and the best soils in Haut-Medoc. The estate has chosen to produce wines using Integrated Farming, aiming to produce quality grapes with greatest respect for the environment.

Total area is 114 hectares, a single stretch of Gunzian gravel with sand, with average vine age of 20 years. Planting density at 6666 vines per hectare, 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot, the wines are aged for 12-14 months in oak barrels, one third is renewed every year. Average annual production is 600,000 bottles.

Integrated Farming

According to the specifications of Terra Vitis, it is necessary to comply with the requirements of two relatively complementary specifications. Chateau Beaumont has obtained the qualification of Integrated Farming from the 2004 vintage onwards, and is the fifth estate in Medoc to obtain the two distinctions.

Since 2002 the estate has been using HACCP for quality control.

I have recently tasted the 2010 vintage and below is my tasting note:

Appearance

Bright and clear, it has deep ruby color, with fading rims and legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium intensity of black fruit of blackberry, dark cherry and plum, pungent spice of licorice, animal notes of leather, mineral notes of earth, kernel notes of coffee. The wine is youthful.

Palate

Dry, with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and velvety texture but got some bitterness, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and medium (+) body, demonstrating medium intensity flavors of black fruit of dark cherries and plum, some herbaceous notes of blackcurrant leaf, pungent spice of licorice, oak notes of vanilla. The wine has a short finish.

Conclusion

Acceptable quality Bordeaux left bank with a reasonably intense nose showing nice complexity, the wine shows some typical regional characteristics though the tannin is a bit too bitter, while the concentration of palate is decent. My biggest disappointment comes in the finish with the wine only offering a short length. It is ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.