Belle Vallée

Varietals

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot

About this Wine

This wine is a bit tricky. It looks like it could be a deep Rose, but it is technically a red wine. Lighter in style than what we know as Bordeaux, it is made from a classical blend of 50% each of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The lighter color is a result of less skin contact during fermentation leaving behind less color and less tannin. The advantages are that this wine can be drunk chilled and very young. I hear often of someone looking for a chilled wine to appeal to red wine drinkers. This is the wine and it is as it has always intended to be. Full of fruit from start to finish and dry this wine pairs well with lighter foods and it the perfect Pizza wine.

Belle Vallee is one of the few remaining great traditional Clarets. When we tasted this wine, we knew it had to be in our box. It is so well made and such a unique wine. This is a wine we go to when we welcome guests or when we are in the mood for Pizza or Pasta and a wine that is full but not complicated. It is one of the most versatile wines in the box.

For such a grand meal I rather expected a Claret

There was a period of time that lasted about 300 years when the British royalty spoke French because they felt French was an elevated language and they had a great fondness for French things. Eleanor of Aquitaine (the region where Bordeaux is located) married King Henry II in 1151. The marriage influenced trade greatly and a huge amount of Claret Wine from Bordeaux was imported to England. The name Claret stuck referring to Bordeaux and is still used today. 007 refers to it in one of his movies. (Sean Connery 1971)