La Belle Citadelle

La Belle Citadelle

“After close to 40 years of importing and distributing wines in the US and having looked at what people really enjoy, it has become clear that there was a void for style, and most times quality, in the generic varietal category. Why was it not possible to deliver a wine that would duly represent it’s top peers: a Chardonnay that tastes like a classy Cote de Beaune, or a Sauvignon Blanc that hints at a Sancerre. More importantly, where were the styles that integrate its origin and its purpose, the desire to over deliver, surpass expectations and fully satisfy the person who is discovering the wine for the first time?

The intent in creating La Belle Citadelle was to reach a profile of wine within each selection that would represent first the varietal, then the terroir, and finally a style that appeals to the "American drinker" while preserving their true identity. "American drinker" is solely limited to the tastings that I have done over the past four decades with a wide variety of people from different backgrounds, with different palates, and different understandings of what they perceive a good wine should taste like. I have thoroughly searched the best terroirs, vineyards, and sometimes plots, in the Languedoc Roussillon to achieve the vision of what it should represent. With the help of devoted individuals in three different wineries, 2 in Languedoc Roussillon and one in Bordeaux, in pursuit of transcending the quality in wine, La Belle Citadelle was born.

Above all, it was a very personal project. The wines were born from my childhood memories of where vineyards and old stone buildings were adorning the countryside. In a place where the smell of wet grass, truffles and tree blossoms commingled freely in the fresh air. The creation of that new wine has been a passion project where every step and detail of each wine has been carefully dealt with.

Vauban built La Citadelle in Blaye in the early 1600s, & my father built a sumptuous hotel restaurant within the walls of La Citadelle. La Belle Citadelle emulates the creation of a work of art. This is a labor of love, and sharing this passion with others was the driving force behind the project.
Our work was quickly noticed, and The Sunset International Wine Challenge (2017) awarded medals to all of our first vintages.”

Guy Azera