France

Cabernet Sauvignon

Merlot

Cabernet Franc

Chateau Belair-Monange

Chateau Belair-Monange Premier Grand Cru Classe B Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Bordeaux

Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

A blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet-purple color. It begins on a single note of bright, juicy red berries and roses, before expanding out to a whole array of suggestions of black plums, raspberry preserves, and mince pie, plus wafts of lilacs, loam, and cinnamon toast. The palate is full-on, full-bodied, jam-packed with muscular black and red berry layers and so many floral and savory accents, supported by velvety tannins, finishing with epic length and so much energy that it shimmers.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Limestone grip, terroir definitely playing its part, succulent, and well balanced, has precision, fragrant peony and lilac, density through the palate with a wave of juice on the finish. Think cherry pit, tobacco leaf, pumice stone. Currently the blend has no press wine, they will decide whether to add it over ageing, 50% new oak, harvest September 23 to 28, 3.8ph. No plans to have a 2nd wine (Annonce de Belair) in the vintage. 

Inside Bordeaux

Makes you sit up and pay attention from the first moment, full of depth and power but delivered with a caress. The slate and pumice stone texture of a vineyard on the limestone plateau is in full effect, with a saline juiciness to the bilberry and black cherry fruit, shot through with white truffle and mandarin peel. Has zip and crunch, and a ton of pleasure. 50% new oak, 55% of overall production. First vintage made with the stunning new cellars designed by Herzog and de Meuron fully open and functional, although 2nd one vinified in them.

Beautiful quality here, all about measured delivery of the character of the vintage, with a slab of limestone minerality that sits squarely in the mid palate, emphasising the juicy pomegranate, orange rind, blackberry and raspberry fruits that slowly inch around, Will take its time to fully reveal, this is a really slow build and a vintage that needs time from this kind of terroir, but it's got all it need to go the distance. 35hl/h yield. 26ha, harvest September 8 to 20, Edouard Moueix owner and director. Potential 100.

Begins with a salt lick and kick of mandarin peel that places you on the limestone plateau, then things soften and widen through the mid palate, showing gunsmoke and a slowbuild of raspberry, redcurrant and red cherry fruits - still on the cool and savoury side, staying true to the vintage, but with delicious finesse and juiciness. A real success, delivering on En Primeur promise. Harvest September 28 and October 2. An upscore.

The 2019 Belair-Monange is made from 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it needs a lot of coaxing to unleash aromas of baked black plums, blackberry compote, and dark chocolate, leading to suggestions of lavender, crushed rocks, and black truffles. The full-bodied palate is full-on hedonic, delivering a refreshing backbone and grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy.

Now standing up alongside the most sought-after names of St Emilion, Belair-Monange is on the limestone plateau, and has been the recipient of serious investment over recent years. Still extremely young, gorgeously ripped muscular frame, here the fruit is multi layered and multi faceted, so much power, autumnal blackberry and blueberry, soft mocha and coffee, clear limestone edge. Great stuff.

Where Pomerol can be love at first sight, St Emilion is little more intellectual, and you can see that here, with the extreme salinity of limestone on display, bright fruit, raspberry and loganberry fruits, beautiful slate-scraping tannins and a kick of mouthwatering acidity on the finish. This was the point at which the newly-formed (three years previously) Belair-Monange began to really take shape and show the excellence that was possible from these vines. 40% new oak.


Mørke juicy bjørnebær, plommer, tobakk, blåbær, hint av vanilje, hvit sjokolade. Modne rips og heavy mørk frukt. 

Kjølig frukt, markjordbær, blåbær, masse juicy fruktighet. Konsentrasjonen er høy. Ok syre som er godt integrert med resten av vinen sin helhet.🍇

Expert

The 2013 Belair-Monange has a medium garnet color, with a touch of brick. It opens with pretty notions of dried roses and cherries, leading to hints of crushed rocks, tobacco leaf, and new leather. The medium-bodied palate has subtle fruit, with a chewy texture and some spicy notes on the finish.

Powerful dark fruits, layered over with anis, fennel, saffron, white pepper, tobacco, smoked butterscotch. Impressive, a little more oak influence than you might find in this wine today perhaps, but the limestone fingerprint has closed around the fruit, and there is plenty to sink in to. A key year at this estate, marking the inclusion of the former vineyard of Château La Magdeleine.

Considering that this was two years before Belair tooks today's shape by bringing in the vineyards of Château Magdeleine (also Moueix owned), it is extremely impressive just how complete, balanced and just purely enjoyable this is. As with the 2009, it has a ton of personality and character, placing it fully on the limestone plateau with its pumice stone minerality, and its restrained, subtle but pleasure-driven fennel and anis-studded brambled fruits. 50% new oak for ageing.

Medium intensity baked plum aromatics, enticing and open, laced with campfire, cinnamon, incense, pumice stone, salted cracker, fennel, saffron, blackberry and sage. Great quality, giving the limestone kick, tightrope walking across the palate, a brilliant wine, juicy and individual, leaning in to its character, with a joyful welcome. 50% new oak for ageing.

A welcoming, gorgeously preserved 1964 with a ton of strawberry puree and soft plum fruit, shot through with smoked earth and white truffle, with peony fragrance and a cushion of air running underneath. We could be in mature Nebbiolo or Pinot Noir territory, so fine are the tannins, and it's a wonderful reminder of how mature Merlot on the limestone plateau of St Emilion can be so singularly charming. One of the best years of the 1960s, with a clear quality preference to Right Bank rather than Left, and this particular terroir was well placed to take advantage. Today known as Belair Monange, at the time owned by Dubois-Challon family, who had been in situ since 1916.

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2022	No priceNot available	Extraordinary
2021	kr 1 520.10Not available	Extraordinary
2020	kr 1 918.40Not available	Extraordinary

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Chateau Belair-Monange
Vintages	2020
Country	France, Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	14 %
Acid	5,6 %
Sugar	< 3 g/l

Packaging	Glass
Cork type
Selection	Spesialutvalg
Wholesaler	Lars Søreide AS
Carrier	Lars Søreide AS