The 2021 Château Belair-Monange continues to impress, and you could put this up with the top wines in the vintage with no issues. Floral notes of blue fruits, violets, chalky minerality, and spice define the nose, and it's medium to full-bodied on the palate, with a good mix of both richness and freshness, building tannins, and a great finish. Turning more mineral-laced, sappy, and floral as it sits in the glass, this is a complete, incredibly classy Saint-Emilion that will round into form with just a few years of bottle age. If you haven't heard of this château, trust me on this one, get on its bandwagon, as it's destined to be one of the greats in Saint-Emilion.
Jeb Dunnuck (June 2022)Score: 93-95+/121
Medium to full body with creamy, velvety tannins. Polished and plush. Pretty spice notes, such as white pepper and cloves to the ripe dark-plum and berry fruit. Some pine cones. Fine, ripe and textured. Concentrated for the vintage. Wonderful length, too.
James Suckling (May 2022)Score: 96-97/100
Made from 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Belair-Monange is medium to deep garnet-purple colored. It slowly unfurls to reveal perfumed waves of black cherries, raspberry coulis, lilacs, and jasmine tea, followed by hints of forest floor, powdered cinnamon, and star anise. The medium-bodied palate is so evocative, with impactfully intense and yet wonderfully restrained red and black fruit layers, supported by miraculously velvety tannins, leading to a long and so very fragrant finish. Just stunning!
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent (May 2022)Score: 94-96/100Drink 2027-2047
Deep ruby in color, the wine is filled with black raspberries, flowers, mint, and spices. On the palate, the wine is plush, soft, polished, fresh, vibrant, and long, finishing with crushed rocks, stones, chalk, and bright, fresh, red fruits, with just a touch of spearmint on the backend. The wine blends 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc,
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider (May 2022)Score: 94-95/100Drink 2023-2049
The 2021 Bélair-Monange is a very beautiful wine. Fruit forward and punchy, the 2021 makes quite a first impression. Ripeness is naturally less pushed here than in recent vintages - that is the year - but it is a style that works so well, as this site offers plenty of richness on its own. A rush of inky red/purplish fruit fills out the layers nicely. There's not a ton of nuance or detail yet, but that will likely come in time. This is very nicely done.
Antonio Galloni, Vinous (May 2022)Score: 93-95/100Drink 2031-2061
Lush raspberry and red cherry fruits, stone-strewn limestone salinity on the finish, complex and enjoyable. This has grilled oak smoke and is accomplished and finessed, lovely limestone character, tapers off slowly but surely on the finish. A clear success in the vintage, from an estate that is really flexing its muscles right now, up there with the very best in St Emilion. Harvest September 28 and October 2.
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (April 2022)Score: 95/100Drink 2025-2040
Cool blue fruit touches on the nose, excellent acidity gives a rush of succulent and mouth watering cherry and strawberry fruit before this settles quite quickly revealing the minerality so characteristic of this estate. Chalky, wet stone and graphite touches come in with a saltiness that perfectly balances the sweet and concentrated red fruits. This feels refined and well worked with a brightness that is so enjoyable. The 1% Cabernet Franc gives structure and backbone. It's a light style, this is more delicate and refined and all the better for it showing the class of the winemaking and nuances of the terroir. A real beauty.
Georgie Hindle, Decanter (April 2022)Score: 95/100Drink 2027-2050
Offering up aromas of sweet cherries, cassis, pipe tobacco, loamy soil and spices, the 2021 Belair Monange is medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, with powdery tannins and a bright spine of acidity, concluding with a long, intensely saline finish. As young vines replanted on the plateau start to dominate the blend, the identity of this cru is becoming more and more marked, delivering wines of precision and sapidity.
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (April 2022)Score: 93-95/100
The Ch. Bélair-Monange has lifted, floral aromas of peony, rose and red berry fruit. The wine has a much more linear structure than the stable of Pomerols from Moueix, but also plenty of flesh to the bones. The wine has medium levels of concentration, and a moderate intensity but very even set tannins and there is a beautiful finesse to the wine. 99% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc
FINE+RARE (April 2022)
Bordeaux / France
En Primeur
2023-2061