Contributing Wine Editor, David Harker, discovers within the city limits of Nice, Bellet, one of the smallest, least known and most exclusive vineyards in France.
“Nice the beautiful”, is the jewel of the French Riviera. Famous for its seafront promenade, flower market, soft light and gentle climate. And for wine lovers there is a feature of this city that is perhaps less well known. Drive into the hills, high above the Bay of Angels and there you will discover Bellet. A tiny vineyard with an illustrious history.
The wines from Bellet wine were a favourite of King Louis XIV and the royal court of Versailles. Thomas Jefferson, future American president and French wine enthusiast, appreciated their quality. More recently, Prince Albert of Monaco chose Bellet wines for his wedding breakfast.
Most Bellet wine today is consumed in and around Nice. In smart hotels along the Côte d’Azure and in the bars and bistros of the bustling old town.
Only nine producers remain, making wine from a tiny vineyard area. They work by hand, on steep slopes scattered amongst hills overlooking the Mediterranean, 300 metres below. Their desirable real estate under constant pressure from an avaricious city.
The wines are based on local grape varieties with vines planted in “poudingue” soils. So called because the mix of clay, sand and pebbles resembles an English pudding. Or so I was told.
At this altitude cooling sea breezes preserve freshness in grapes that might otherwise burn under the hot Provençal sun. The results; herbal white wines from Rolle, known as Vermentino across the border in Italy. Punchy red wines from Folle Noire and deep coloured rosé, from the Braquet grape.
Production is so low and local demand so high, that few bottles make it to the UK. Wines to look out for include:
Château de Crémat
In 1906, Antoine Mari, a prosperous olive oil merchant from Nice, built the Château de Crémat. Wine making on the property dates back to Roman times. Roman tunnels that run beneath the property are now used to age the wine.
The château interior recalls the Riviera of the “Roaring Twenties.” The jazz age salon furniture purchased at auction from the Ritz, Paris.
Clos Saint-Vincent
Clos Saint-Vincent makes wine following biodynamic principles. Unique wines from the only property with vineyards planted on each of the three hills of the Bellet appellation.
Domaine de la Source
In Bellet’s difficult post war years flowers were the main cash crop. So when Joseph Dalmasso purchased this small plot of land it was to cultivate carnations. The flowers watered by the plot’s natural spring.
The first vines planted were simply to make wine for the private enjoyment of friends and family. Over time the Delmasso family have replaced green houses with vines. Dedicating the Domaine to the production of artisanal, organic wines.
Château de Bellet
Central to the story of Bellet is Château de Bellet and the Barons of Bellet. The origins of the family go back to the middle of the sixteenth century. The château dates from the seventeenth century, the Baronial title to the eighteenth. That’s around the same time as the Barons started planting vines on these hills, giving their name to the estate.
Two hundred years later and the Barons of Bellet were the driving force behind restoring the reputation of Bellet wines. Fighting for the creation of the Bellet appellation, granted in 1941.
Then, in 2012, Ghislain de Charnacé, the grandson of the last Baron of Bellet, controversially sold the historic vineyards to an investment fund after four centuries of family ownership.
The Château, situated on the hill of Saquier, has been retained as the private residence of the de Charnacé family. While the vines surrounding it, including the picturesque hilltop chapel, are now in corporate ownership.
The sale marked the end of an era but it also heralded a period of new investment. New vines have been planted, the 150 year old chapel restored and a new reception, tasting room and wine cellar created. If you can’t find these wines at home then I recommend a flight to Nice. Take the short, but terrifyingly twisting drive up into the vineyards and explore. Located entirely within the municipality of Nice, the Bellet appellation is France’s last urban vineyard. Yet in these secluded hills, nestled between the sea and the snowy Alps, you are world away from the hustle of the tourists in the city far below.
