Château Marchand Bellevue "Rediscover the pleasure of having a drink with friends"

Alain Dufourg is the winemaker at Château Marchand Bellevue, in the Entre-deux-Mers region, in the commune of Targon, where he has cultivated 33 hectares of vines since 2010. Alain comes from a family of winegrowers. For as long as he can remember, he has worked with his feet in the vineyards. Upon graduating with a BTS (Advanced Vocational Diploma) in agricultural management and accounting, he returned to the family estate, where a remarkable adventure in the world of wine began.

Alain Dufourg: "Sales through independent wine merchants are much more in line with my work philosophy."

In 2010, the winemaker struck out on his own with his grandfather's land and breathed new life into the estate: he renamed the château " Marchand Bellevue ," developed new products, and changed distribution channels. "I was working with large retailers, but I wasn't satisfied responding to their calls for tenders. The negotiation focused solely on price, down to the last cent, " explains Alain. He therefore decided to turn to independent wine merchants: " I developed a network of wine merchants, particularly in the Limousin and Auvergne regions, as these are not saturated with Bordeaux wines ," the winemaker explains. " Sales through independent wine merchants aligns much more closely with my work philosophy because we have genuine human relationships ."

ALAIN DUFOURG HAS LEFT THE SUPERMARKET NETWORK AND IS NOW FOCUSING ON INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS

Meanwhile, Alain and Sylvie, his partner who joined him at the estate, are developing their online and on-site sales network: “ We started working with Les Grappes, then Sylvie set up a website to develop online sales. This year, we plan to develop direct sales at the estate .” A wonderful project that will culminate in the construction of a tasting room at Château Marchand Bellevue .

Château Marchand Bellevue: the red wines of Entre-Deux-Mers.

BARRELS FOR AGING THE DOLMEN CUVÉE AT CHÂTEAU MARCHAND BELLEVUE

The 33 hectares of vines at Château Marchand Bellevue are exclusively planted with red grapes . And the reason is quite simple: " I don't much care for dry white wines ," smiles Alain, " and I can only make wines that I love and that I enjoy. " Château Marchand Bellevue is predominantly Merlot, a great Bordeaux grape variety that also grows alongside Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot, less common in the Entre-Deux-Mers terroir , but a favorite of Alain. " Petit Verdot is a typical Médoc grape variety. I really appreciate it in blends because it brings peppery, spicy notes and character to the wine ," explains the winemaker.

Our favorite wines from Domaine Marchand Bellevue:
"Dolmaine" - Bordeaux 2015 - Red
Château Marchand Bellevue-Rouge 2015

Château Marchand Bellevue is embracing sustainable agriculture.

When Alain took a new direction in 2010, he decided to return to the soil, to the land, and to nature : “ I’ve matured and I wanted to work in a way that respects the vine .” Today, Alain finds his balance in sustainable agriculture: “ I only use treatments when necessary, if the fungal pressure is high, or if the risks are significant, ” he explains. Thanks to these thoughtful treatments, Alain can work with much higher-quality grapes. “ The land is my tool, and I want it to last a long time . To achieve this, I strive to produce wines that respect both the environment and the vine .”

Alain Dufourg produces fruity, supple and smooth red wines

Alain harvests very ripe grapes. This requires constant monitoring in the vineyards throughout September, with numerous observations, before officially starting the harvest. " Fortunately, I can be very responsive. I can therefore decide the harvest date at the last minute ," the winemaker points out.

Once in the cellar, the grapes are carefully tended in a multi-level winery. " Working with gravity allows me to limit the crushing of the grapes and thus avoid damaging them ," explains Alain.

The grapes are sorted to remove all impurities and ensure only healthy grapes are used. Before fermentation, Alain carries out a cold pre-fermentation maceration at 8°C for 3 to 4 days to extract the initial fruity notes. At the end of alcoholic fermentation, Alain initiates a second maceration at a warm temperature (35°C) to extract tannins.

ALAIN DUFOURG ONLY PRODUCES RED WINES AT CHÂTEAU MARCHAND BELLEVUE

These choices are carefully considered by Alain, who wants to produce " fruity, enjoyable, and easy-drinking wines. The wines of Château Marchand Bellevue are wines with character; they are flavorful, fruity, and supple. They have enough tannins to be aged for a few years. "

Finally, if there is one watchword in the Château Marchand Bellevue cellar, it is hygiene. " In the cellar, I attach very particular importance to hygiene. Indeed, I believe that to make good wine you need a lot of water. In my cellar, I want impeccable hygiene ," confides Alain.

The flagship wine of Château Marchand Bellevue: The Dolmen cuvée

Only the Dolmen cuvée is aged in new barrels for 18 to 20 months. The other cuvées, including Château Marchand Bellevue , are aged in tanks for a few months, with monthly racking.

“ The Dolmen cuvée is not produced for every vintage ,” explains Alain, “ I have to have the quality of wines that goes with it. If I lack tannins in a vintage, the oak will dominate the wine. So I prefer not to make cuvées. I make the Dolmen cuvée when I can, because it has to be top-notch .”

Find the wines of Château Marchand Bellevue here

Manon Mouly (for Les Grappes)