Château Belair-MonangeChâteau Belair-Monange 2014

A huge, dramatic wine for the year, the 2014 Bélair-Monange possesses tremendous depth and overall intensity. Succulent black cherry, leather, spice and menthol are some of the many notes that flesh out in this dramatic, massively endowed Saint-Émilion. The fruit feels very ripe, yet there is plenty of underlying structure and acidity to balance things out. Since 2012, Bélair-Monange has been made from three parcels on gravel, clay and limestone. It is that very intersection that yields one of the most distinctive wines in Saint-Émilion. The 2014 is also the first vintage that includes fruit from the replanting done on the plateau. Bélair-Monange increasingly gives the two established flagships in the Moueix family´s range (Trotanoy and La Fléur-Petrus) a run for their money.

With the amalgamation of Château Magdelaine into this one property, the estate is now a considerable 58 acres. The wine is now performing in top gear. Powerful tannins drive the mainly Merlot blend with 10% Cabernet Franc. It still shows signs of the wood aging and these will disappear to leave a richly endowed wine with a fine future.

The first vintage to include fruit from replantings on the upper plateau, the 2014 Château Bélair-Monange is another brilliant wine and is a 2014 that marries elegance and finesse with richness and terrific length. A blend of mostly Merlot and roughly 10% Cabernet Franc, it offers ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a complex bouquet of black cherry and currant-like fruits, lots of Asian spice, acacia flowers, cedary spice, and dried earth-like minerality. Ripe, medium to full-bodied, exceedingly elegant, with fine tannin, and great finish, it needs an hour of air if drinking anytime soon, and will evolve gracefully for 10-15 years.

There´s gorgeous purity here, with cassis, loganberry and raspberry fruit carried by a lightly brambly feel, giving this more weight and grip than previous vintages. The chalky thread is there and really extends through the finish but is easily absorbed overall. Ends with lovely bergamot and rooibos tea notes.