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2022 Château Villa Bel-Air, Graves, Bordeaux
- Red
- Dry
- Full Bodied
- Cabernet Sauvignon (52.5%), Merlot (44%), Cabernet Franc (3.5%)
Ready - youthful
(Drink 2024 - 2033)
- Yohan Castaing
- 88-90/100
- Georgie Hindle
- 89/100
- Jeb Dunnuck
- 90-91/100
- James Suckling
- 90-91/100
Product: 20221016226
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Description
Merlot 52%; Cabernet Sauvignon 44%; Cabernet Franc 4%.
The 2022 Château Villa Bel-Air is attractively aromatic with soft red fruit, a leafy note that evolves to white pepper on the finish, and a satisfying palate of warm earth and liquorice. When owned by the Cazes family, this was always a reliable and good-value source of decent Claret. After being sold in 2017 to the Ballande family and becoming Guillaume Bastard de Crisnay’s project, there is now a sense of matters moving up a gear. Stéphane Derenoncourt’s team has been engaged as technical consultants and particular focus has been applied to the red wine. The wine now seems tighter, better focused, and has more backbone.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
Colour Red
Sweetness Dry
Vintage 2022
Alcohol % 14%
Maturity Ready - youthful
(2024 - 2033)
Grape List Cabernet Sauvignon (52.5%), Merlot (44%), Cabernet Franc (3.5%)
Body Full Bodied
Producer Château Villa Bel-Air
Critics reviews
Yohan Castaing 88-90/100
A strong effort, the 2022 Villa Bel Air, a blend of 52.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 3.5% Cabernet Franc, offers up an elegant yet inviting bouquet of blueberry, wild strawberries, licorice and cassis. Moderately weighted, the palate is nicely balanced, fresh and precise, crystalline and juicy, with a long, saline finish.
Georgie Hindle 89/100
Juicy and supple, treads quite lightly in terms of fruit density but the tannins are nicely prominent, firm and filling giving the slightly narrow but well controlled frame to the dark bramble fruits. Nothing harsh here, still with juiciness and gentle acidity. Harvest 17 September - 7 October. Ageing 18 months; 30% new barrels, 50% one wine. Derenoncourt consultants.
Drink 2026 - 2036
Drink 2026 - 2036
Jeb Dunnuck 90-91/100
Coming from more clay soils, the 2022 Château Villa Bel-Air has plenty of richness and concentration, with medium-bodied aromas and flavours of black cherries, blackberries, violets, and chocolate. It’s nicely balanced, has ripe tannins, and a good finish.
James Suckling 90-91/100
Mix of crushed blackberries, spices and walnuts with medium body and hints of roasted coffee beans. Firm tannins. A little chewy. It should improve with the elevage.
About this wine
Graves
The region which first established Bordeaux's reputation, Graves wines were exported to England as early as the 12th century. The names is derived from ‘gravel’ and the best soils are gravel-rich, mixed with sand and occasionally clay. It is larger in areas than the Médoc but produces only half the amount of wine. The best wines were first classified in 1953 with this classification confirmed in 1959.
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