Andy Frieden, JJ Buckley, April 2011

Situated next to Ausone, this is a property to watch. It will no doubt be competing with the very top wines from St. Emilion. The nose offers a perfume of spring flowers, blackberry and black cherry with underlying Asian spice and a strike of charcoal and graphite minerality. Really nice concentration of black cherry, cassis, and plum fruit with a touch of brambly briary terroir expression. Gorgeous restraint and balance with an alluring and elegant texture that is a departure from a majority of Right Bank wines that focus on extraction and power. This wine is more about elegance and sophistication than bowling you over with primary fruit. Thus, the tannins are well manicured and integrated nicely already. We spoke with Christian Moeuix about his fine portfolio of wines, and he pointed out that the vintage required less maceration and extraction due to thick skin tissue as a result of the small de-hydrated grapes. This gorgeous St. Emilion shows that he was on to something and the wine is drinking beautifully now with a silky, luscious texture.

95 points,

James Suckling, jamessuckling.com, February 2013

Aromas of berries, chili and a hint of toasted oak. Full body, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Juicy and beautiful. Really builds on the palate. One of the best wines ever from here. Super quality. Try in 2018.

Jancis Robinson, April 2011

Arresting new red and white label. Mid crimson. Very rich, plump, sumptuous nose. This really is quite dramatic! Then firm on the palate - a very strong statement of intent to age. Relatively rich for a Moueix St-Émilion though much more restrained and classical than most of its peers elsewhere. Dry finish with good balance though clearly quite a lot of alcohol. The tannins are definitely present. This is much less dense than the more caricature style of this appellation. 17 out of 20

94 -95 points,

Jeff Leve, TheWineCellarInsider.com, April 2011

Belair-Monange With aromas of charcoal, stone, licorice and red with black fruits, the wine offers silky, supple textures and a deep, licorice infused, long, mineral, ripe plum and cassis finish.

91 -93 points,

Neal Martin's Wine Journal, April 2011

The Belair-Monange (ex-Belair) has a very natural, well defined nose that does not go and grab you, but it relatively understated at first. Leaving my glass aside for 3-4 minutes, it really blossoms with scents of boysenberry, wild hedgerow, briary and a faint honey-ish tang. The palate is medium-bodied with a citric-thread of acidity that is has in common with Magdelaine. Very tight on the entry, fanning out towards the very elegant finish (one of the most refined in Saint Emilion.) This has great potential.

96 points,

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, March 2013

An absolutely magnificent wine from Christian Moueix and his son Edouard, this wine is right up there with their 2009 and may eclipse it in terms of its potential longevity. Dense purple, with a near-liqueur of crushed rocks and chalk intermixed with blueberry, black raspberry and cassis, this wine is very full-bodied for a Belair, with ethereal complexity and impressive texture and length. I believe this is the first vintage of the wine to be released in an engraved bottle, which seems to be the direction of all the top estates in the Jean-Pierre Moueix stable. More evidence of concerned Bordelais attempting to stop criminals intent on producing fraudulent bottles of these limited production wines. Forget this baby for 7-8 years and then look for it to evolve over three decades-plus. Obviously, the Moueix family has been investing considerable money and effort into this famous vineyard, which was one of Bordeaux's most notable underachievers for many decades. It is certainly back now, with yields cut drastically, and the fruit harvested at a much riper stage, producing a wine that truly exploits this great terroir adjacent to Ausone. - Robert Parker

91 -94 points,

Stephen Tanzer's IWC, June 2011

Deep ruby-purple. Sexy, aromatic nose combines ripe red cherry, cassis, Oriental spices and sandalwood. Sweet and supple on entry, then slightly tougher in the mid-palate, with chewy flavors of black fruits, licorice and dried herbs accented by a persistent floral note. I really liked this wine's overall balance and sneaky concentration. A very fine Belair-Monange that ought to age splendidly.

95 points,

Wine Enthusiast, May 2013

A big, complex wine from this continually improving property, this is now performing at its classed-growth level with concentrated ripe berry fruits and chocolate flavors. The wood aging is still showing through and needs time to integrate better, but as it does, this will be a great wine. -R.V.

94 points,

Wine Spectator, March 2013

Rather toasty today, with mocha and baker's chocolate notes weaving around the dense core of black currant and plum sauce. Flashes of hoisin sauce and tar add a nicely edgy feel on the long, dense finish, which needs cellaring to unwind fully. But there's some serious minerality buried here, so this will be worth the wait. Best from 2015 through 2030. -JM

About Winery

This was formerly known as Chateau Belair until 2008, and the addition of Monange to the title is in homage to Anne-Adele Monange, the grandmother of Christian Moueix and great-grandmother of Edouard Moueix, the Managing Director of this property.

"Christian Moueix, his son, Edouard, and new oenologist, Eric Murisasco... have admirably demonstrated just what this great terroir is capable of producing. Cropped at an unreal 18 hectoliters per hectare, it appears ready to compete with its near-by neighbor, Ausone."
-Robert Parker

Shipping Details

This is a pre-arrival item. You will be contacted once this product has arrived at our warehouse to arrange delivery.

Need it faster? Call us now at (888) 859-4637 for special arrangements.

Free storage available. We offer free 6 months storage for any wine purchased at JJ Buckley. We highly recommend storing your wines during the summer months to avoid heat damage during shipment.

For a shipping quote, add this product to your shopping cart. From there you will be able to enter a zipcode and get a detailed quote. For full details on our shipping policies, click here.