Description
The vineyards of Bélair-Monange now occupy some of the choicest plots of the appellation. One third lie on the limestone plateau, near the historic town of Saint-Emilion, one third are on adjoining, south-facing, steep hillsides, with the balance being on terraces between the two. The property was bought by the Moueix family in 2008, and they then made big investments, shoring up the land. Beneath the vines lie ancient galleries in the limestone, which were stone quarries, for many centuries – but some were unstable. Above ground, many plots needed re-planting, which has been slowly taking place.
Today, only wine from fully mature plots and the best sites is chosen for the Grand Vin, with the 2020 assemblage being 98% Merlot, with 2% Cabernet Franc, now ageing 50% in new oak barrels.
International demand for Bordeaux 1st Growths has taken the prices of Cheval-Blanc and Ausone to levels where their regular consumption is beyond the reaches of most of us. Fortunately, with Bélair-Monange we have a wine of comparably magnificent, 1st Growth quality, which is now one of the greatest glories of Saint-Emilion. In 2020, the colour is strikingly brilliant purple-ruby, with fresh aromas of great finesse and complexity. This has an explosively exuberant fruitiness from the start, the middle flavours are strongly sustained, the finish builds to richly rounded tannins, with elegant, long-lasting aftertaste, showing magnificent potential (for drinking 2026-2045+).
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