Belair-Monange 2019

Such a lesson in limestone terroir with its precision, knife-spliced and restrained violet flowers, raspberry and redcurrant fruits. You need to chisel through the austerity to get to the creamy, fleshy side of these fruits but it is very definitely there. So good, enjoy, take your time, give 6 to 8 years to fully let that creamy raspberry puree and deeper black cherry side come out to join saffron, sage and slate minerality. Love it. Harvest September 19 to October 3. 50% new oak.

Tasted blind. Concentrated, youthful nose. Just a little bit obvious in terms of sweet, spicy oak. Chocolatey. But very dense. 15%Drink 2028– 2045

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.

98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample.Reticent but lifted nose. Very much a dark-fruit aspect. Delicately fine tannins. Refined in temperament and style. Long and linear. Poised and refreshing. Clean, palate-cleansing finish. (JL)Drink 2027 – 2040

The 2019 Belair-Monange is a blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out with alluring notions of black raspberries, redcurrant jelly, preserved plums, and wild blueberries, plus hints of cinnamon stick, rose oil, underbrush, and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, concentrated, and impactful, it has a solid line of ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and fragrant.

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.

The 2019 Bélair-Monange, currently undergoing extensive renovation, was picked from 19 September to 3 October and matured in 50% new oak. It certainly leans upon red fruit on the nose with vivacious wild strawberry, cranberry and Morello scents, wonderful mineralité emerging with aeration. This really repays patience. Monitoring it over an hour it uncovers more black fruit - keeps you on your toes. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins and a sensual silky texture that belies the sheer depth of this Saint-Émilion. It fans out with abandon on the finish - just an outstanding wine that will offer drinkers many years of pleasure. 2024 - 2055.

Tight and minerally with tar, currant, and wet-earth aromas and flavors. Medium-to full-bodied. Some salt and white pepper to the black fruit. Black olives, too.

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 Belair Monange comes sashaying out of the glass with a graceful hair-toss of fragrant red roses, cinnamon stick, cardamom and cumin seed notes over a core of Morello cherries, dark chocolate, wild blueberries and blackberry pie plus a touch of pencil shavings. The medium to full-bodied palate is just scrumptious, offering layers of perfumed black fruits and bright floral sparks, framed by exquisitely ripe, satiny tannins and an invigorating line of freshness, finishing on a lingering aniseed note.