Chateau Villa Bel-Air

Delicious thyme, chive and verbena notes gild the gooseberry and yellow apple core. Mouthwatering finish.
James Molesworth - winespectator.com, Nov 2016

A step up from our Good Ordinary White, this wine is bottled for us by the renowned Bordeaux family, JM Cazes (whom you may know as the owners of Ch. Lynch Bages). The 2015 vintage of this white Graves is a particularly fine one.

The warmth of the year is evident in the ripe peach and melon aromas on the nose. On the palate, the fruit is unusually rounded and complete. Here, preserved lemon gives way to riper, tropical fruit flavours, but the finish is as bone dry and refreshing as ever. This clean, crisp wine can be enjoyed on its own, with seafood and even with richer chicken dishes.

Supple, charming and extremely approachable even at this young age, this is likely to be one of the most affordable wines of the vintage. There is real value here, especially when you consider how the expertise of the Cazes family (Ch. Lynch-Bages), who own and manage the estate, is a crucial component to its creation.
Simon Staples, Asia Director April 2013

This 50% Merlot blend is an absolute cracker and shows how well Bordeaux can do at the lower price levels. It has lean but vibrant red berry fruit with good acidity and freshness. The structure is evident but the tannins are ripe and fine-grained. On the finish there is a lovely minerality. This has to be one of our best value buys of the vintage.

Ch. Villa Bel-Air is so sumptuous, rich and decadent that we had to check this wasn’t something more ‘grand’ as we moved through the flight of wines at the tasting. This will provide early drinking, which will last if you want it to, but I cannot see there being another wine that offers such good value for money from 2010. Get in on the ground floor of the Lynch Bages stable and be prepared to be wowed!
Simon Staples, Fine Wine Director

Berrys' famous Good Ordinary Claret was first launched in 1974 and has been our best-selling wine ever since. First mooted in 1986, Berrys' Extra Ordinary Claret was launched a mere 19 years later - once the concept had perfectly matured. Produced especially for us by Bordeaux-legend Jean-Michel Cazes, this elegantly balanced, modern Claret is packed with juicy black berry fruits and an intense cassis finish.
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Wines for our Berrys' own selection are hand-picked by our expert buyers and are standard-bearers of style and quality from classical wine regions, offering exceptional value for money.

• All Berrys' own selection wines
• Berrys' own selection Bordeaux wines

2009 Ch. Villa Belair is a rich, smooth and very concentrated wine which bursts with blackcurrant and red plum fruit. Its velvet texture suggests that this will be an utterly delicious drinking wine in a few years' time, and given that this is likely to be one of the most inexpensive wines of the vintage, it is an excellent value buy.

What can I say but we really can’t find a finer Claret at anywhere close to this. My father described such a wine as a “boot filler”  - i.e find something as good and as good value, back the car up and fill the boot. I think that may sound a little disrespectful, it really isn’t. In such a vast area there really should be more “A” grade affordable Claret that makes you want to open a second bottle rather than pass on the second glass. Made by the fantastic Lynch Bages team, 2011 is yet another triumph.
Simon Staples - Sales Director, Asia

This is a benchmark Graves, showing both the generosity and the earthy, savoury notes that are so typical of its origins. However, the suave interpretation given by the team from Lynch-Bages gives a modern gloss to Graves’ more robust characteristics, with the result that this is an immediately gratifying wine, front-loaded with bright, fresh red berry fruit. The palate reasserts the sense of place, with a note of graphite mingling with the soft fruit notes. This really is tremendous value for money, pretty much ideal to drink now, but with the substance to still deliver over the next five years.
Mark Pardoe MW, BBR Wholesale - Tasted at the St Emilion, Pomerol, Graves and Sauternes Cellar Tasting, 03/12/09

True to its origins in Graves the wine is modern in style, bursting with gorgeous fruit and underpinned by ripe tannins. It shows real complexity on the nose. Seductive blackcurrant fruit with fruit cake and spice flavours too. On the palate, the tannins are firm but not tight and the lush, rounded fruit that help to make it expressive enough to enjoy now. The acidity and body are in balance and a streak of Graves minerality finish off the long length admirably. This is an approachable style of wine from a fabulous vintage- at a very reasonable price, considering the quality on show here! Villa Bel Air is made in small quantities by the same owners as Ch.Lynch Bages and in a very similar style. This is cool, vibrant and exciting with glorious Graves characteristics of fine tannins, attractive and expressive minerality. This little gem provides instant gratification now but will get even better over the following years. Superb value and delicious!
Simon Staples, Berrys’ Fine Wine Director

The nose presents a lovely gentle punch of Blackcurrant juice, hints of plum.  The medium bodied palate has good grip with the fine ribbon of tannin and a lovely uncomplicated sapid crunch. This is a simple and yet balanced Graves that will engage fans in the short term drinking window of its life. 

2014 Ch. Villa Bel-Air is a benchmark Graves. Owned by the Cazes family, who also produce the wonderful Ch. Lynch-Bages, this super Claret is always a favourite with our team. The nose is dominated by lovely, vibrant red fruits – all courtesy of 50% Merlot in the blend – and generous, earthy, savoury notes which are a hallmark of the wine’s appellation. Approachable even now at this very early stage, there is an abundance of tasty bright, red and fresh fruit on the palate. Strawberries linger on the mid-palate and combine expertly with notes of graphite and a rich, softness on the finish. There is a coolness here and touch of spice too which coat the mouth. It is a triumph, truly excellent value and the first wine from the 2014 vintages which we are very happy to recommend. 50% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc.