Chateau Belair-Monange 2012

A Saint-Emilion with an Opulent Bouquet and Long, Tense Finish

While the winemaking heritage of Chateau Belair-Monange goes back to well before the days of the French Revolution, the estate began its Renaissance upon its aquisition in 2008 by the Moueix family. Christian Moueix and his son Edouard have carried out remarkable improvements at the property, which have included the drastic reduction of yields, harvesting later in the season, and investing in new technologies, such as optical sorting equipment, at the winery. The estate is classified a Premier Grand Cru Classe of Saint-Emilion and includes 23.5 hectares (58 acres) of vines, out of which around 14 hectares are under production. The property is planted with 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Each sip of Chateau Belair-Monange expresses the estate's combination of two distinct but complementary terroirs: a limestone plateau and blue clay soils upon limestone slopes. This juxtaposition of soil types results in a higher level of nuance in the finished wines. After a manual harvest, carried out with manual sorting in the vineyard and optimal sorting at the winery, the fruit is vinified in thermoregulated stainless steel and concrete vats, with special attention paid to a particularly gentle maceration and extraction. The wine is aged in French oak barrels (around 50% of which are new) for 16-18 months.

The Chateau Belair-Monange 2012 is a wonderful representation of the Saint-Emilion terroir, revealing a deep ruby color in the glass. The opulent bouquet offers ripe red berries and cherries, along with hints of earth, mushroom and spices on the nose. Medium-bodied on the palate, this wine shows off a silky sooth texture with defined tannins and a fresh acidity. The finish is quite graceful, long and tense. Drink 2022-2035.