St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend

This one is on the right track!!!

The 2019 Bélair-Monange has a more tertiary nose, backward and broody, almost Left Bank in style. This demands much more coaxing from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly chocolaty opening. The oak a little too thick maybe? Plenty of fruit behind it, quite plush on the finish, but missing the intellect that previous bottles have displayed. Maybe entering an awkward adolescence? Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2023)

Brooding and quite mineral, still youthful surging layers of cassis and cocoa dominate. Several around the table thought this needed 10+ years, including me. Beautiful.

The 2018 Bélair-Monange, so impressive out of barrel, delivers now that it finds itself incarcerated by glass. It is endowed with a seriously impressive nose, delivering blackberry and still that faint warm brick/terracotta scent, shaved black truffle and a touch of clove. You could lose yourself completely in this bouquet. The palate has firmed up a little, displaying more backbone than I recall. The dash of cracked black pepper liberally sprinkled over the finish curiously bears similarities to some of the Pomerols this vintage, and the Cabernet Franc feels much more prominent than its 2% contribution to the blend would suggest. I adore this Saint-Émilion and it is going to benefit from 8–10 years in the cellar... if you can resist temptation that long. (Neal Martin, Vinous, March 2021)

Every time I try this wine I am amazed by how well it has been holding up - This is just starting to hit its stride.

Ripe and full bodied. Notes of mint and dark fruit and balanced use of oak. Bravo!

The 2016 Belair-Monangé displays almost clinical precision on a nose of mineral-rich black cherry and raspberry fruit, plus hints of wilted violets and iris. The medium-bodied palate delivers firm grip on the entry. This is a clean, precise, correct Saint-Émilion with plenty of tension and poise toward the persistent finish. Very classy and noble. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2020)

The 2016 Bélair-Monange is exotically ripe and flashy. Bright red and purplish fruit is pushed forward in a primary, intense wine with plenty of immediacy. As good as the 2016 is, what I don't see are the layers of depth and structure that have made the finest recent vintages so compelling. Even so, the 2016 is a very pretty and compelling wine, it just falls a bit short relative to some of the other wines that have been made here. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2019)

A huge, intense Saint-Émilion, the Bélair-Monange is just as impressive from bottle as it was from cask. That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that the wine is going to need at least a decade to shed some of its considerable baby fat. A rush of super-ripe black cherry, game, smoke and tobacco hits the palate as this dramatic, unrestrained Saint-Émilion shows off its explosive personality. The 2015 speaks with an assertive voice that demands attention – and it got mine, that’s for sure. The blend is 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Feb 2018)

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