A Delicate Flower

At the top of the Malloul terroirs, just below our lake, lies the site of the first village church, long since abandoned and completely destroyed during the war. The only remaining evidence of its presence is a stone baptismal font, which somehow managed to escape ruin.

Every spring, a rose bush climbs to embrace the font, covering it with delicate pink roses which remain until winter snows threaten. For us at Chateau Belle-Vue, this rose has become confirmation of our efforts. Inshallah -God willing-we will someday erect a small chapel on its site.

Thirst Quenching

	You may know that newly-planted vines require regular watering, at least until their roots reach far enough into the soil to tap into the water table. You may also know that in this part of the world, summer rains are virtually non-existent-from May until late September we expect little or no precipitation. Once the vines are mature, this is excellent for wine making--but for young vines to not have moisture is a disaster.
Not once, but twice we have been blessed by the discovery of water where we were certain none existed. On both occasions, at his wit's end, the vineyards manager called to purchase a tank of water to save the young crop-while almost simultaneously workers discovered a spring which created enough supply for the entire area.

Ask and You Shall Receive

At one time Bhamdoun village was located low in the valley, near the site of the old church. While clearing terraces in this area, Joseph found evidence of a bakery which must have been in use hundreds of years ago. Huge rocks blistered red by an oven's heat made the tractor's work slow and difficult, until it reached a point where the team could make little progress. Joseph needed a lever to loosen the rocks so the tractor could force them to the side. He called Naji, who promised to deliver an iron lever later that day.

Joseph and the tractor pressed onward, avoiding the area which was impossible to clear. About four meters beyond, the tractor stopped short, having struck something just below the surface of the soil. Amazingly, that 'something' was an ancient iron lever which must have been used by our ancestors for virtually the same purpose.

Joseph's next move, of course, was to call Naji again and cancel the order for a lever.

La Rennaissance

	Harvest 2003 was in itself an inspirational event.
	Forced to pick early due to extreme summer temperatures, Naji, Joseph, and the laborers faced an overwhelming task. Test results showed that a large percentage of the merlot grapes had to be picked immediately. Reasoning that they would be unable to complete the job without extra help, Joseph sent someone to find more day labor. No sooner had he given the order than they heard a shout from up the gravelly road.
Word had gotten out. Trooping down the mountainside was a group of villagers who had heard that we needed help picking our grapes. People responded in droves, even coming from the neighboring town of Monsourieh. Old and young, women and men responded to the call, secaturs in hand. Within hours the job was complete. By way of thanks, they celebrated that evening with a barbeque outside the makeshift winery. The village had come together. Naji's dream of involving the Bhamdouni people in his project came closer to reality in the space of a few hours.

Mr. Elias Tabet generously decided to donate a cellar beneath one of his properties in the village to Naji and Chateau Belle-Vue. Naji quickly saw the potential of the 'cave' for storing the barrels from the recent harvest. The wine needed just such a cool and damp atmosphere to age properly.

Filled with rubble, it was obvious the cellar had not been used for many decades. Mr. Tabet insisted that a second, hidden cellar ran parallel to the first, so the first order of business was to probe through the thick stone wall to see if his memory was correct. There was another cellar which had long since been sealed. Opening a low door between them took three weeks, but it was an effort which realized great reward. The second cellar, wider than its twin, was found to have a relatively 'new' wall at the far end of its 6-meter length. When a second probe revealed that another space did indeed exist behind the stone barrier, breaking down the wall became an easy prospect. The find resulted in a second cellar of equal length to the first, but beautifully wide-perfect for storing barrels, bottles, and wine tasting.

We at Chateau Belle-Vue would like to see Mr. Tabet's generosity become a platform for involving the heritage of the village-these charming q'abus -in our success. In transforming the already existing cellars into barrel storage and tasting rooms, Bhamdoun is set to become a lovely sojourn on Lebanon 's wine country trail.

God at my right

Yusef Habre had managed the renovation of Chateau Belle-Vue's first cellar for almost a month, and the project was nearing completion. One of his remaining tasks was to partially fill an alcove at the back of the second cellar. The stone wall inside the alcove was not presentable, and a large stone had been chosen to cover it.

As the foreman and two workers struggled to fit the new stone into place, it fell to the ground and broke. Yusef shook his head in dismay as he saw that the broken pieces unmistakably took the form of a cross.

A coincidence? That's what Yusef thought as he and the workers haphazardly placed the pieces into the back of the alcove. When the final piece didn't fit, Yusef himself tried to force it and cut his head on a stone protruding from above.

As blood streamed across his forehead, Yusef suddenly understood what he needed to do. He reorganized the stones into the cross shape they had formed naturally on the ground and fit them thus into the alcove at the end of the cellar. They remain so to this day.

Later that afternoon, the foreman telephoned Naji and Jill asking them to come immediately to the cellar. The alcove had indeed been filled-a three-foot high cross now occupied the space, looking as if it had always been so.