HISTORY
Château Belle-Vue enjoyed a very good reputation at the end of the 19th century and won many
awards: Gold medal in Amsterdam in 1895, as well as silver medals in Brussels (1897), Paris (1900)
and Bordeaux (1907).
From 1966 until 1996, Château Belle-Vue was part of Château de Gironville and all the vines were
sold under the Gironville label. Since then, the cellars at Belle-Vue have been renovated and the estate
now produces its own wine. Over the last vintages, notably since 1999, the wines of Château Belle-
Vue have been regularly distinguished with honours and medals in wine competitions and in the
international press.
The 9,73-hectare vineyard is located on a plateau with deep gravely soil (7-10 metres) adjacent to
Château Giscours (Margaux AOC). The soil is naturally well drained, enabling the grapes to rape
early.

VITICULTURE
Grape Varieties : 48 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 32 % Merlot & 20 % Petit Verdot.
Average age of vines: 25 years (the oldest vines were planted in 1907)
Density of vines: 6666 vines/hectare
Pest management
Traditional viticultural practices, including cover cropping.
Bud pruning, suckering and leaf thinning.
Harvesting: The fruit is handpicked and hand sorting after destemming.

WINEMAKING
Fermentation and maceration: Stainless steel vats: 80 à 150 hl.
Pigeages (the cap is punched down three times a day during fermentation).
The wine spends 6 to 7 weeks on the skins.
Malolactic fermentation: Half part in new oak barrels.

AGEING
14 – 16 months. 100% in new oak barrels. Selected, ultrafine grain Hungarian oak from the
cooper Vicard in Cognac. Several ageing experiments are being carried out at Belle-Vue.
Batonnage – the wine is regularly stirred in order to keep the lees in suspension.

BOTTLING
Fining with fresh egg white, no filtration.