| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Château Belair Monange is now owned by the Moueix family, and has had a new name since the 2008 vintage. This is one of the best vineyards in Saint Emilion, perched at the top of the slope right next to Ausone, near Canon and above Angélus. Despite the brilliant terroir, the wine-making was mediocre for many years until the Moueix purchase. It is clear that Edouard Moueix is transforming this château into one of the stars of Saint Emilion. The vineyard is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Work is ongoing to improve the yield of vines up to 100 years old, in tandem with filling in gaps in the vineyard. Of the 23.5 hectares only 16 are currently in production. A second wine "Annonce" is now produced from the younger vines.
Intense aromas of wet earth, limestone cellars and dark fruits such as currants and blackberries. Then turns to flowers. Black truffles, too. Licorice. Gravel. Full-bodied with a solid palate of tannins that melt into the wine. It’s sleek and muscular with fantastic length and presence. Reminds me of great old Belairs from the 1950s. Cool wine. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Give it six to eight years of time. Best after 2028.
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 2020 Belair Monange has also turned out nicely in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich cherries, plums, sweet spices, rose petals and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, rich and layered, it remains fresh despite its ripe, sun-kissed profile, and its generous payload of tannin helps to integrate its rather lofty level of alcohol. This is a success in its demonstrative, modern style. 2025 - 2045
The 2020 Bélair-Monange has a more backward nose with dense black fruit. There is a very noticeable cedar/Cabernet element here that indicates that it might be Lafleur. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins—another top Right Bank wine with a cashmere/creamy texture. It's lavish and beautifully composed on the ethereal finish. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2030 - 2065
The gunsmoke character is immediately evident on the nose, as is richly expressed damson and raspberry fruit. This is pared back and held back right now, elegant, showing a seductive edge without trying too hard. The texture is softly-brushed velvet, these tannins are front and centre but so fine and so precise that they don't get in the way of the fruit. Salinity from the limestone is evident on the finish, bringing a moreish juiciness and you can scrape your tongue against the pumice stone texture. Austere in all the right ways, with just the most incredible depth and layers. I love it. Harvest September 15 to 23. 98-100.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2050
The 2020 is a blend of 98% Merlot with just a touch of Cabernet Franc, harvested from 15th to 23rd September. The wine will be aged for 16-18 months in 50% new French oak. Sweet and caramelised red fruits on the nose here, with a hint of milk chocolate and cherry blossom. The palate follows with the same rounded, sweet fruit bolstered by succulent, ripe tannins. There is a herbal, fresh note that complements this fruit and gives a bright edge to the finish.
98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Wisp of fruit and soil on the nose with a red-berry and chalky nuance. Beautifully textured, the plentiful tannins smooth and filigree fine. Poised, fresh and juicy as well, the finish long and palate-cleansing. Precisely executed, the terroir showing through. (JL)
Drink 2028 – 2045
(98% M, 2% CF)
Dense and minerally to smell; concentrated, fairly full, very fresh in acidity, very fine in its firm tannin; deep, sweet, fresh; transparent, complex, and aromatic, a beautiful, complete limestone plateau GCC St-Emilion; pure, transparent, racy, and refined, with great, sweet, scented length. So fresh, pure, and transparent, without a trace of “thickness,” the concentration notwithstanding. Top-notch St-Emilion. Will need, ideally, a couple of decades. 2038–60+.
The 2020 Bélair-Monange has a brilliant bouquet that confirms my adulation from barrel with a cornucopia of aromas: black cherries, dates, crushed rock and pressed violets all unfold in dazzling fashion. The palate is beautifully proportioned with finely chiseled tannins, fresh and perhaps the most saline of J-P Moueix's 2020s. It builds supremely well on the mouth towards a structured yet pixelated finish. This fabulous Saint-Émilion may deserve even more adulation further down the line.
The 2020 Bélair-Monange continues its impressive run of form under the JP Moueix family, having rapidly ascended to the highest rank within the Saint-Émilion appellation. This latest release is another stunning articulation of its propitious terroir, which lies adjacent to Ausone. You could lose yourself in the kaleidoscope of aromas: black cherries, Dorset plum, crushed stone, violet and background pencil box, beautifully defined and growing in intensity. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins and quite firm (maybe a tad more than I anticipated), displaying fine grip. This is a strict yet utterly compelling Bélair-Monange with wonderful salinity coming through toward the finish. There is a lot of substance to this wine and it is perhaps less immediate than other recent vintages, indicating that it may require long-term cellaring. Outstanding. 2027 - 2050.
It’s full-bodied, showing loads of violets, blackberries and blueberries with salt and white-pepper character. Minerally. It’s very fine-grained with a fascinating finish. Intense and long. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.
The 2020 Belair Monange displays an opaque purple-black color, unfurling slowly to reveal a nose of blueberry preserves, stewed plums and Morello cherries, giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of Chinese five spice, incense and dried rose petals, plus hints of fallen leaves, Sichuan pepper and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a fantastically plush texture with mouth-coating black and blue fruits and loads of exotic spice sparks, gently lifted by soft acidity, finishing long and fragrant. 2027 - 2052
