2014 Château Bel-Air Lussac Saint-Emilion 

May 23, 2018

Wine Wednesday brings us this 2014 Château Bel-Air Lussac Saint-Emilion brought in to the US from my friends at Peloton Imports in Seattle & Napa. We had this bottle with our first supper back to Hawthorne last week along with food from one of our favorite places in the hood, Local 111. Being in the country, by the time it takes us to drive to pick the food up, our order is ready. This wine drinks like a much more expensive version. The folks at Peloton do this so well, finding producers who create exceptional wines at exceptional value. Plus, they ship! You don’t have to buy 6 bottles, but if you do, shipping is only a penny for 6 or more bottles. They are one of my go-to sources for when we are planning a party up here and I want wine delivered. 

Now about this amazing wine: Château Bel-Air is in the heart of the Lussac Saint-Emilion appellation. The 50-acre estate has been in the Roi family for more than a century, and it is today run by Jean-Noël Roi. The estate makes several Merlot-based wines, and the flagship wine is the Cuvée Jean Gabriel, made from vines that are an average of 30 years old. Cuvée Jean Gabriel is a relatively new wine for the estate, debuting with the 1998 vintage. It is 50 percent Merlot and 50 percent Cabernet Franc and it is an homage to one of the past patriarchs of the family, Jean Gabriel Roi. It was made with help from consultant Stéphane Derenoncourt. About 12,000 bottles of Cuvée Jean Gabriel are made annually. 

Click Peloton Imports to check out this bottle and oh so many more. Happy Wednesday from the Hudson Valley!