Lunch in the Cave: Domaine de Bellevue – The Road to Jerez, Part IV
At the close of this summer, Hawkridge’s Phil and James embarked from Portsmouth alongside Cripps & Co’s Harry Henriques, Fred Hicks, and Alex D’Elia on a journey to discover the casks that will shape Hawkridge’s and Cripps’ future spirits—tracing each barrel back to the very place its story begins. Their travels led them through sunlit vineyards, historic cellars, and working cooperages across France and into southern Spain, where they met the craftsmen behind the craft and hand-selected the wine and sherry barrels destined to nurture their spirits in the years to come.
From La Rochelle, the drive south brought us into Bordeaux country – a landscape where almost every horizon seems to promise a vineyard. Our destination was Domaine de Bellevue, where we were welcomed by Jean François Boras, a man whose quiet pride in his craft was immediately apparent.
He took us through his vines before leading us to the heart of the estate – a cool, stone-walled cave that had seen centuries of vintages come and go. Deep inside this 11th-century space, lit only by candles, he laid out lunch for us: a simple but beautiful terrine, fresh bread, and wine from his own barrels. The air was cool, the light soft, and the sense of history unmistakable.
As we ate and drank, the conversation turned naturally to oak, how it breathes, matures, and shapes what it holds. Jean François spoke of how each barrel takes on the character of the wine it nurtures, and how, over time, the wood and the liquid become inseparable. Listening to him, we recognised the same respect for patience and material that drives us in distilling.
After lunch, we inspected several of his red wine casks. Their structure and age made them ideal candidates for the kind of whisky finishing we had in mind. Each bore the quiet marks of craft and care.
Before we left, Jean François said something that stayed with us for the rest of the drive: “The best barrels are like people .. they improve when they have a story.” It was a fitting thought as we turned toward Spain, chasing more stories still waiting to be told.
