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

Deep garnet-purple colored. After a little shaking, the nose unfurls to reveal notes of black cherries and fresh raspberries, opening out to hints of lilacs, anise, and cedar chest. The medium-bodied palate is tightly wound with black and red berry layers, supported by firm, fine-grained tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and perfumed. A real head-turner.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

The 2023 Belair-Monange, 100% Merlot, is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a few moments of patient swirling to allow delicate notes of warm black cherries, plum preserves, and raspberry coulis to emerge, followed by alluring hints of iris, cinnamon stick, and mossy tree bark. The medium to full-bodied palate is taut with tightly wound red and black berry layers, framed by fine-grained tannins and seamless freshness, finishing on a lingering fragrant earth note. This is breathtakingly gorgeous!

Composed of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs considerable swirling to unlock scents of blackberry preserves, mulberries, and plum pudding, followed by suggestions of chocolate box, cinnamon toast, Indian spices, and candied violets with a hint of tilled soil. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and truly impactful, the palate is beautifully layered and so, so plush, finishing very long and opulent. Pure decadence. 

A blend of 99% Merlot with 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Belair-Monange is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. After a little swirling, evocative scents of violets, star anise, and cloves emerge from the glass, leading to a core of raspberry coulis, black cherry preserves, and juicy plums, plus a touch of fertile loam. The medium-bodied palate is plush and spicy, with delightfully pure red and black berry layers, and a refreshing lift to the finish.

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.

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.

Inside Bordeaux

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.

Roasted damson and greengage plum, touches of flaky pastry, orange peel and cloves, this is a gourmet style with toasted oak and melted tannins, luxurious with the beautiful saline balance of limestone. Ready to drink but will age further, enjoyable but less precision than you find in more recent Belair Monange vintages. 50% new oak. There was plenty of vineyard replanting going on at this time, as had been the case since the 2008 Moueix purchase, 23.5ha planted. Harvest September 27 to October 8.

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.

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Chateau Belair-Monange
Vintages	1997
Country	France, Bordeaux, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
Bottle	75 cl

Alcohol	%
Acid	%
Sugar	g/l

Packaging
Cork type
Selection
Wholesaler
Carrier