Belair Monange

Château Bélair-Monange traces its origins back to Roman times. Situated at the highest point of Saint-Émilion’s famed limestone plateau, it has long been considered one of the region’s very best crus. By 1850 it was ranked by Cocks & Feret as the leading wine of Saint-Émilion, a position it held well into the twentieth century. Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix purchased the iconic Château in 2008. In 2012, Château Magdelaine was merged into Château Bélair-Monange. The name ‘Monange,’ in addition to its literal translation, ‘my angel,’ was the maiden name of Jean-Pierre Moueix’s mother, Anne-Adèle, the first Moueix woman to call Saint-Émilion her home. Château Bélair-Monange combines the terroirs of the most privileged sites of Saint-Émilion. The limestone from the central plateau parcels offers freshness, minerality, and delicate, lingering aromatics, while the dense, blue clay of the slopes provides intensity, length, and a unique elegance to the wine.

Winemaker notes

A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and pure, flowery, black raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of chalky minerality. The wine is medium-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and appears to be an aberration in a vintage such as 2013. Kudos to Edouard Moueix and his team for this remarkable success. Drink it over the next 12-15+ years.

2014

Wine Advocate 92: The 2014 Belair-Monange was a slightly perplexing wine when I tasted it from barrel, so I was intrigued to discover how it would perform now in bottle. It has what you might describe as a "straight-laced" bouquet: very direct and nicely delineated, albeit without the frills and nuances of some of the best Saint Emilion wines this vintage. There is an attractive wilted rose petal aroma that emerges with aeration, but I was seeking more intensity. The palate is better than the aromatics: silky smooth in texture, well-judged acidity, genuine depth and gentle grip in the mouth. There is tangible mineralité here, great focus with a sense of tension and "bite" towards the finish. I was probably being parsimonious with my score in barrel, although that is partly vindicated by the nose that needs to get its act together and match the potential of the palate. Let's see how this develops over the next few years.

James Suckling 96: Extremely perfumed with rose aromas that turn to strawberries and citrus. Some stones, too. Full-bodied, yet reserved and ultra-refined. It goes on for minutes. Power with finesse.

Vinous 93: The 2014 Bélair-Monange has an open, aniseed-tinged bouquet with plenty of ripe red berry fruit. There is something playful and joyful about these aromatics that demand to be noticed. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp acidity, firm tannin, quite grippy in the mouth but there are some lovely liquorice and spice notes that come through on the finish. Excellent.

Decanter 94: Salty, meaty elements on the nose, quite savoury and toasted with accents of dark blackcurrant, plum, oak and graphite. Silky and a little bit sombre, this has finesse but has lost some of its bright youthful and fun fruity side and now presents a relatively light but still charming body with a juicy core and saline finish. Clean and well defined. Ready to drink but this could age further.

Wine Enthusiast 96: With the amalgamation of Château Magdelaine into this one property, the estate is now a considerable 58 acres. The wine is now performing in top gear. Powerful tannins drive the mainly Merlot blend with 10% Cabernet Franc. It still shows signs of the wood aging and these will disappear to leave a richly endowed wine with a fine future. Drink from 2026.

2018

James Suckling 99: Very intense blackberries, black olives, blueberries and dried flowers. Stony minerality. Even some pine. Full-bodied with superb depth of fruit and ultra fine tannins that are intense and polished. The finish is so long and delivers so much flavor, from wet earth to blackberry again. Seamless palate. Try after 2026.

Vinous 96: The 2018 Bélair-Monange, so impressive out of barrel, delivers now that it finds itself incarcerated by glass. It is endowed with a seriously impressive nose, delivering blackberry and still that faint warm brick/terracotta scent, shaved black truffle and a touch of clove. You could lose yourself completely in this bouquet. The palate has firmed up a little, displaying more backbone than I recall. The dash of cracked black pepper liberally sprinkled over the finish curiously bears similarities to some of the Pomerols this vintage, and the Cabernet Franc feels much more prominent than its 2% contribution to the blend would suggest. I adore this Saint-Émilion and it is going to benefit from 8–10 years in the cellar... if you can resist temptation that long.

Decanter 97: A gorgeous wine, with concentrated power offset by lift and lyricism. It fully expresses the character and personality of its location on the limestone plateau, showing real juiciness and a focussed minerality, with extremely flavourful crushed raspberry and blackberry fruits, and touches of peony and rose on the nose. This is delicious, graceful, spicy and persistent, with notes that spiral both downwards and upwards. The violet reflections are off the chart.

Wine Enthusiast 97: Dense layers of black fruits mingle with dusty tannins in this wine. The powerful structure is beautifully balanced with ripe fruitiness in harmony with the concentration of the wine's texture. This wine will age well. Drink from 2027.

2021

Wine Advocate 93+: The ethereal 2021 Belair Monange shows its limestone terroir front and center in this cooler vintage, unwinding in the glass with notes of sweet cherries, minty red berries, raw cocoa and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, suave and polished palate that's pure, lively and mineral, concluding with a saline finish.

James Suckling 96: Lots of lush blue and black fruits followed by violets, fresh mint, roasted almonds and black ink with vanilla beans and mocha. Full-bodied, refreshing acidity with firm and racy tannins. Broad and energetic mid-palate with a succulent and layered finish. Superb concentration with depth and tension. It’s difficult not to drink now but your patience will be rewarded.

Decanter 95: A bit quiet aromatically. Bright and shiny straight away, juicy with acidity and minerality to the fore - a real coating of liquorice and flint straight away, fruit feels ripe and perfumed with a lean texture and racy acidity - salty, straight and focused. Tannins are slightly grippy and grainy giving the frame and structure. Needs more time to come together but this feels well worked, with a certain fullness. Salty strawberries, herbal raspberries, wet stone, flint and graphite. You really get the terroir effect here and the final flavour leaves you wanting more. Delicate yet determined. I like it a lot.

Wine Enthusiast 96: The wine comes from a 64-acre vineyard on the slope leading to the Saint-Emilion plateau. It is dense, its tannins still dominant. The wine's fruit and rich structure are impressive. Drink from 2028.

2022

Wine Advocate 94: The 2022 Belair Monange opens in the glass with aromas of jammy blackberries, licorice, smoked meats and mocha. Full-bodied, layered and dense, with chalky tannins and a carnal finish, the estate's limestone soils translate into the liveliest wine in the Mouiex portfolio this year, despite its super-ripe profile.

James Suckling 99: This has an opulence that’s reined in by the crushed-stone and fine-tannin character. It's full-bodied with tight and polished tannins that have energy and precision. Very linear and structured. This comes from great limestone soils that give this wine a freshness and focus. Salty and chalky at the end. Drink after 2030.

Vinous 98: The 2022 Bélair-Monange is even better in bottle than it was en primeur. Seamless in the glass, with stunning purity, the 2022 is magnificently complete from start to finish. Brisk acids and cool veins of supporting minerality cut through a core of ripe red/purplish berry fruit, lavender, blood orange and mocha. The 2022 is the most impressive Bélair-Monange under the Moueix family's stewardship. Superb.

Falstaff 100: Deep dark ruby in colour with a deep core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. On the nose, an immensely complex bouquet of delicate truffle, leather, fine dark forest berries, some cherry, liquorice, and nuances of tobacco. The tight-knit, juicy palate has an impressive verticality, with fine fruit, ripe, perfectly mature supporting tannins, and enormous length. Has great potential for ageing, fully exploiting its great terroir this year, this is an outstanding wine with a saline finish that lasts for minutes.

2023

Wine Advocate 94-96: The 2023 Belair Monange is the first vintage from this newly created property that incorporates a balance of fruit from the plateau and fruit from the hillsides, as restructured and replanted parcels are returning to production. Wafting from the glass with attractive aromas of raspberries, violets and kirsch mingled with hints of incense, licorice and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a deep and textural core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins, retaining a cool, ethereal profile that foregrounds its limestone origins.

James Suckling 97-98: There’s finesse and beauty to this, with blackberry, dark-chocolate, bark, mushroom and forest-floor character. But it’s all class. Caresses your palate. Medium- to full-bodied and very long. Persistent and sophisticated. This shows the true character of the diverse vineyards of this estate. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.