Description
Château Bélair-Monange, named until 2007 Château Belair, is a Bordeaux vineyard from the appellation Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine.
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix purchased the iconic Château in 2008 and immediately undertook extensive renovations of the vineyard, winery, underground quarries, and château in order to restore the cru to its rightful historic status.
The philosophy of the Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix is simple: to produce exceptional wines, one must start with great fruit, possible only by cultivating impeccable vineyards and exercising the utmost respect towards nature.
As for the wine, Belair-Monange combines the hedonism of succulent Merlot fruit with the raciness and chalky minerality of its limestone soils. It’s a magical combination: the fruit ensures suppleness in cooler vintages, while the acidity and minerality provide freshness and attack in (the many) warmer years.
Tasting Notes
Clearly a bigger and more structured wine than the 2014, this has blackberry and fig notes along with a lick of minerality, suggested by both the texture and the gunsmoke edge to the finish. It’s enjoyable and approachable, although still young. The alcohol levels are high in 2015, but the St-Emilion plateau is a relatively forgiving spot for generous alcohols because there’s a natural minerality and freshness from the limestone. 30% new oak.[91/100, Jane Anson, March 2019, decanter.com]
