2014 Château Bélair-Monange, Saint Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classé

With the 2012 publication of a revised Saint-Emilion classification, the vineyards of the contiguous First Growths Ch Bélair-Monange and Ch Magdelaine were merged together. Their soils and aspects – lying alongside Ch Ausone – are indeed very similar, so this makes excellent sense. And it now allows the Moueix family owners to choose wines from only the best plots of each château to go into this one final, Grand Vin selection – carrying the name Ch Bélair-Monange.
The wine’s colour is rich, red-purple, the nose showing very elegant, red fruits fragrance. On the taste, this is well built yet delicate, all the way from start, through mid-palate, to its powerfully sustained, long aftertaste. The palate has greater structure and denser fruitiness than Bélair ever had on its own – without losing its exceptional finesse, velvety texture and magical, potential complexities. This wine has leapt upwards in quality, and is now a benchmark for its appellation (for drinking 2022-2040+).