Chateau Belair Monange - Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe 2020 (750ml)
Price: $244.99
| Producer | Chateau Belair Monange |
| Country | France |
| Region | Bordeaux |
| Subregion | St. Emilion |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Sku | 6977 |
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James Suckling: 99 Points
Intense aromas of wet earth, limestone cellars and dark fruits such as currants and blackberries. Then turns to flowers. Black truffles, too. Licorice. Gravel. Full-bodied with a solid palate of tannins that melt into the wine. It’s sleek and muscular with fantastic length and presence. Reminds me of great old Belairs from the 1950s. Cool wine. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.
Decanter: 99 Points
Striking yet elegant, this holds its own being tasted after the more plush and ripe Trotanoy while this is more focussed and streamlined. Just as confident, concentrated and intense but in a different way completely. This is more reserved, refined and less overt, with an incredible purity and precision to the layers of red berry fruit and salinity from the limestone. Such nuance and detail, this is seductive with a powdery texture to the tannins. Really very well worked. Hard to pick a favourite as the length and overall sculpting here are exceptional. A gorgeous wine with star power that really leaves a lingering impression.
Jeb Dunnuck: 98 Points
The Grand Vin 2020 Château Belair-Monange is also 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc that's a blend of the upper limestone plateau and the more clay heavy soils on the hillside. Very much in the tight, structured style of the vintage, its dense purple hue is followed by a great nose of ripe black cherries, black raspberries, dried flowers, loamy earth, and camphor, with a beautiful sense of minerality. Opening up with time in the glass, it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous overall balance, and a great finish.
Vinous: 98 Points
The 2020 Bélair-Monange is tremendous. What a wine. It is easily the best effort since the Mouiex family bought the property. Rich, ample and dramatic, Bélair-Monange saturates the palate with waves of inky dark red fruit. Sweet floral, espresso and spice notes appear later, adding shades of nuance. Clean mineral notes extend the finish effortlessly. A wine of exotic beauty and allure, Bélair-Monange is a real stunner in 2020.
Wine Enthusiast: 97 Points
This large Saint-Emilion estate is now on top form. Richly structured and with fine dark fruits, it is full of aromatic Cabernet Franc berry flavors along with some powerful tannins. Expect this wine to go far.
Wine Advocate: 95 Points
The 2020 Belair Monange has also turned out nicely in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich cherries, plums, sweet spices, rose petals and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, rich and layered, it remains fresh despite its ripe, sun-kissed profile, and its generous payload of tannin helps to integrate its rather lofty level of alcohol. This is a success in its demonstrative, modern style.
Wine Spectator: 94 Points
A classically styled, slightly austere Bordeaux, with a chalky spine that helps drive red and black currant and plum puree notes along, all while light alder, dried rose petal and light tobacco notes fill in the background. Refined and focused through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
