Château Bel-Air La Royère

The estate

In 1992 the Chevrier family, growers for 4 generations, fell for this old property at Cars, in the Gironde, and Xavier Loriaud and Corinne Chevrier, both from lines of cognac producers, rebuilt the vineyard and the buildings. From 1995 they put Malbec, long set aside in Bordeaux, back at the front; since 2010 Corinne Chevrier has carried the work on with a small team. Organic farming began in 2016 and was certified in 2019, amphorae came in 2019 and 2020, and Castets, an old Bordeaux grape, was replanted in 2023 and first vinified in 2025.

The 14 hectares sit at the top of a slope at Cars, looking over the Gironde estuary, on clay and limestone and sandy gravel, planted with Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Castets and Sauvignon Blanc, with hedges planted through the vineyard. The cellar holds concrete and steel vats, oak barrels, amphorae and old cognac casks. The red Château Bel-Air La Royère is 65% Merlot and 35% Malbec, from Malbec vines 75 years old and Merlot 55, and ages 16 months: 20% in new barrels, 20% in amphorae and 60% in barrels of 1 or 2 wines. The range runs to 12 cuvées, among them the Justin wines, each of a single variety.

At a glance

Appellation

Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux

Commune

Cars

Classification

No classification

Owner

Corinne Chevrier; the Chevrier family since 1992

Vineyard

14 hectares at the top of a slope over the estuary

Ground

Clay and limestone and sandy gravel

Grapes

Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Castets, Sauvignon Blanc

Farming

Organic, certified since 2019

Cellar

Concrete and steel vats; the red 16 months, 20% in new barrels, 20% in amphorae, 60% in used barrels; old cognac casks

Wines

Château Bel-Air La Royère, red and white; Esprit de Bel-Air La Royère; Gourmandise; the Justin range; 12 cuvées in all

Sources: Château Bel-Air La Royère, home · Château Bel-Air La Royère, the history · Château Bel-Air La Royère, the estate · Château Bel-Air La Royère, the red grand vin · Château Bel-Air La Royère, our ranges