2015 Chateau De Bellevue Lussac St-Emilion, Bordeaux, France   

hâteau de Bellevue is not your typical Bordeaux estate: it is small, family-run, and entirely organic—all rare in this vast and prestigious wine region. Covering just twelve hectares, Bellevue sits on a limestone plateau that gives its wines a particular goût de terroir that sets it apart from others in the region. This blend of Merlot with a drop of Cabernet Franc is consistently firm, fresh, and chalky from year to year, a stark contrast with the opulent, velvety reds produced in Saint-Émilion and even other parts of Lussac. This mineral backbone endows it with great aging potential, and yet the wine delights in its young years thanks to the pure, bright fruit and mouth-watering finale. Proprietor and vigneron André Chatenoud has been known to serve his Lussac with duck breast grilled over vine cuttings, but any number of other simple, yet delicious pairings will work. In the summertime, don’t hesitate to give this red a slight chill if necessary.