wine details
reviews
The Wine Advocate 94-96/100The 2023 Belair Monange is the first vintage from this newly created property that incorporates a balance of fruit from the plateau and fruit from the hillsides, as restructured and replanted parcels are returning to production. Wafting from the glass with attractive aromas of raspberries, violets and kirsch mingled with hints of incense, licorice and rose petals, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, with a deep and textural core of fruit, lively acids and powdery tannins, retaining a cool, ethereal profile that foregrounds its limestone origins.
Jane Anson 97-100
Makes you sit up and pay attention from the first moment, full of depth and power but delivered with a caress. The slate and pumice stone texture of a vineyard on the limestone plateau is in full effect, with a saline juiciness to the bilberry and black cherry fruit, shot through with white truffle and mandarin peel. Has zip and crunch, and a ton of pleasure. 50% new oak, 55% of overall production. First vintage made with the stunning new cellars designed by Herzog and de Meuron fully open and functional, although 2nd one vinified in them.
James Suckling 97-98/100
There’s finesse and beauty to this, with blackberry, dark-chocolate, bark, mushroom and forest-floor character. But it’s all class. Caresses your palate. Medium- to full-bodied and very long. Persistent and sophisticated. This shows the true character of the diverse vineyards of this estate. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.
Glengarry Review
This was one of my wines of the vintage. Fortunate to taste this with Edouard Moueix at the new winery that is simply spectacular. Designed by Herzog and de Meuron, it's a work of art. As is the wine that was crafted in this brilliant structure. 100% Merlot, there's a black fruited nose with a spiced lift. It's very attractive and draws you in straight away. The quality of the tannins something else, just so perfect with a dusty cocoa note to them. Underlying all of this, a limestone, chalky minerality. A very fine wine, one that will be talked about for many years to come.
Neal Martin Vinous 95-97/100
The 2023 Bélair-Monange was picked September 11 to 29 at around 45hL/ha. It has a very intense, very well-defined bouquet: black cherries, mulberry and light iodine mixed with estuarine scents—scintillas of kelp and oyster shell in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, very fresh and animated. Focused and mineral-driven, the 2023 has one of the most refined finishes that you'll find on the Right Bank this year. This is a very strong follow-up to the 2022 and it may even surpass it, though this is cut from a very different cloth insofar that it is unapologetically more classic in style.
Antonio Galloni Vinous 94-96/100
The 2023 Bélair-Monange is terrific. I find it much more reserved than in most recent years, in a very good way. Bright acids and beams of tannin shape this super-classic Saint-Émilion. It’s a style I like very much. Hints of dark-toned fruit, leather, dried herbs and spice build into the potent, layered finish. This is impeccably done. It will be interesting to see what Edouard Moueix coaxes from Bélair-Monange now that he has a brand-new cellar. Will the wines be extroverted, as they were in the early going, or more reserved, like the 2023? 2032-2063