Perhaps the most radical winemaker in Bordeaux? Undoubtedly this is the antithesis to what we’ve become accustomed to seeing from this most traditional of French wine regions. Olivier Cazenave and his wife Anne discovered Château de Bel on the banks of the Dordogne in 2003. They have since expanded its vineyards to eight hectares, as well as taken on the farming of those of friends and family elsewhere in Bordeaux, with one-third of a hectare in Pomerol and two hectares in Montagne Saint-Émilion. Since 2016, all Olivier’s own vineyards are certified biodynamic. His wines are at turns classical, experimental, natural and never shying from controversy.
100% Merlot
The vines are planted on clay-silty soils close to the Dordogne river.
Fermentation in stainless steel tanks to retain freshness and primary fruit flavours, like cherries and fresh raspberries. It’s super fruity, rounded and a delight to drink. Proper claret!
Olivier Cazenave is the most radical winegrower in Bordeaux. Multi-vintage bottlings, biodynamic farming, avant-garde packaging…in so many ways Olivier is re-imagining what is possible in this historic French wine region.
Echappée – meaning an ‘escape’, such as a romantic getaway, or in cycling a ‘breakaway’ – is Olivier’s multi-vintage house blend, the red version a mixture of a few recent vintages of Merlot from the biodynamic vineyards of Château de Bel.
Olivier makes his wines non-vintage partly to create a reliable house style (as in Champagne), partly to distance the wines from what can sometimes be an unhealthy obsession with this or that vintage in Bordeaux.
Intense garnet colour with notes of cherries and fresh raspberries. Fruity, round and very easy to drink.
Grab a burger or two along with some sweet potato wedges and bliss out! Or try roasted duck with cherry sauce…
Biodynamic
