Chateau Belair-Monange Saint Emilion Grand Cru 2019
(Saint Emilion, Bordeaux, France) - [JS 99 #49 Top 100 2022] [DM 99] [JD 98] [WE 96] [VM 97] [WA 95] [WS 95]

About this Winery:

Château Bélair-Monange traces its origins back to Roman times. Situated at the highest point of Saint-Émilion’s renowned limestone plateau, it has long been considered one of the region’s very best crus. In 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 property in 2008 and immediately undertook extensive renovations of the vineyard, winery, underground quarries, and château in order to restore the cru to its earlier historic status. Originally known as Château Bélair, the property was renamed following the acquisition; in addition to its literal translation, ‘my angel,’ ‘Monange’ was the maiden name of Jean-Pierre Moueix’s mother, Anne-Adèle, the first Moueix woman to call Saint-Émilion her home.

About this Wine:

The winery has just under 58 acres planted primarily to Merlot (88%) with a small amount of Cabernet Franc (12%). The average vine age is 25 years and the wine itself is aged 16-18 months in 40% new French oak barrels.

Ratings & Reviews

99 Points & #49 Top 100 2022 - James Suckling:
"Wonderful aromas of fresh flowers, blackberries and cherries. Licorice and lilacs, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined, translucent and weightless. Incredible purity and excellence. This is the heart and soul of the property in a glass. Really pinpointed at the end. Enchanting and thought-provoking. Needs time to open and soften. Try after 2028." (December 2022)

99 Points - Decanter:
"One of the standouts in 2019. Red fruit aromatics are so clear on the nose, strawberries and sweet red cherries with some bramble floral notes - delicate and liffed. Gorgeous expression on the palate, so finely framed with tannins that are smooth and supple, effortlessly coating the mouth and giving life to the bright cherry and raspberry fruit. This has grace - slender and smooth - the flavours just glide across the palate, filling out the mouth with lashings of limestone terroir markers - crystalline fruit purity, crushed stones, mint and minerality. Clearly concentrated, there's layers of flavour but there's also such persistence, the flavours go on and on. Wonderful lift and so charming. I absolutely love it." Drink 2030-2050. - Georgina Hindle (January 2022)

98 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The flagship 2019 Château Belair-Monange checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from 25-year-old vines and raised in 50% new French oak. It's a magical wine in the vintage and offers more depth and richness than just about every other Saint-Emilion out there, all while holding onto a gorgeous sense of finesse and elegance, which would almost have me guessing Pomerol in a blind tasting. Deep red and black fruits, truffly earth, tobacco, and spring flower notes all emerge on the nose, and this puppy is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and one heck of a great finish. It's stunning, and while it offers incredible pleasure today given its purity and flawless balance, it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more." Drink 2029-2060. (April 2022)

97 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2019 Bélair-Monange shows wonderful delineation and focus on the nose, which presents a cornucopia of red fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petal and light black truffle aromas. It seems to gain complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, fine delineation and a velvety texture. This builds toward a lavish finish, with dark chocolate and cocoa notes lingering on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle but should repay those with the wherewithal to cellar." Drink 2026-2050. - Neal Martin (December 2021)

96 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"A structured, elegant wine at the top of its form. It has ripe blackberry fruits, a rich texture and a fine future. Solid but with a fine style, the wine will be ready from 2027." - Roger Voss (October 2022)

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Like Trotanoy, though of course not to the same extent, the 2019 Belair Monange is another of the richer, more powerful wines in the Mouiex portfolio this year. Offering up aromas of sweet cherries, wild berries, vanilla pod, plum preserve, warm spices and cedary new oak, it's full-bodied, broad and muscular, with a deep and layered core of ripe, sun-kissed fruit that's framed by lively acids and ripe, powdery tannins." - William Kelley (April 2022)

95 Points - Wine Spectator Magazine:
"This captures the richness of the vintage wonderfully, with long, caressing waves of cassis, plum reduction and boysenberry compote flavors gliding through. Laced with subtle red tea, floral and mineral hints through the lengthy finish, this is really well done and augmented by a level of purity most don't have in this vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2040" = James Molesworth (March 2022)