Very intense blackberries, black olives, blueberries and dried flowers. Stony minerality. Even some pine. Full-bodied with superb depth of fruit and ultra fine tannins that are intense and polished. The finish is so long and delivers so much flavor, from wet earth to blackberry again. Seamless palate. Try after 2026.

The wines here continue getting better year after year. And 2018 is no exception. Just the color, with its dark, purple ink hue tells you you're in for something special. There is incredible intensity of flavor here. The non-stop layers of rocks, stones, black plums, blueberry and black cherry accompanied by flowers, spice box, licorice and chocolate is sublime. But it is the wealth of velvet drenched, silky fruits coating your palate that hits it out of the park! The 60 second seamless finish seals the deal! With time, this will probably hit triple digits. Produced from blending 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc, this should age for 2-3 decades or more with little effort.

An incredible expression of Merlot grown on limestone soils, the 2018 Château Belair-Monange (90/10 Merlot and Cabernet Franc) sports a dense purple hue as well as powerful notes of blackcurrants, kirsch liqueur, flowery incense, chalky minerality, and white truffle. Rich, full-bodied, and beautifully concentrated, it's a serious 2018 offering integrated oak, ripe yet building tannins, and one hell of a great finish. The finest vintage of this cuvée I've tasted, it's a wine to seek out and hide in the cellar for a good 5-7 years. It's going to evolve for 30-40 years.

Made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2018 Belair Monange rolls effortlessly out of the glass with gregarious scents of black cherry preserves, stewed plums and boysenberries, plus suggestions of Indian spices, rose oil, Ceylon tea and garrigue, with a waft of tilled soil. The rich, seductive, full-bodied palate is laden with black fruit preserves and exotic spice layers, framed by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Wonderfully hedonic and conceivably drinkable now, give it 4-5 years in the cellar to allow the earthy/savory nuances to fully emerge from within the fruit and drink it over the next 25 years or more.

Hugely serious; still clearly extremely young. With a gorgeously ripped muscular frame, the fruit is multi-layered and multi-faceted. So much power, with autumnal blackberry and blueberry, soft mocha and coffee, and a clear limestone edge. Great stuff.
Tasted by Jane Anson (at Bordeaux, 10 Nov 2020)
Part of Bordeaux 2018 in bottle: full overview plus top scoring wines

The 2018 Bélair-Monange races across the palate, showing its exuberant, flamboyant personality. Ripe plum, mocha, blood orange, star anise and cinnamon fill out the layers effortlessly. Sumptuous and generous, with striking balance, Bélair-Monange hits all the right notes. It can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring, but also has the pedigree to age effortlessly for decades.

The 2018 Bélair-Monange, so impressive out of barrel, delivers now that it finds itself incarcerated by glass. It is endowed with a seriously impressive nose, delivering blackberry and still that faint warm brick/terracotta scent, shaved black truffle and a touch of clove. You could lose yourself completely in this bouquet. The palate has firmed up a little, displaying more backbone than I recall. The dash of cracked black pepper liberally sprinkled over the finish curiously bears similarities to some of the Pomerols this vintage, and the Cabernet Franc feels much more prominent than its 2% contribution to the blend would suggest. I adore this Saint-Émilion and it is going to benefit from 8–10 years in the cellar... if you can resist temptation that long.

Ripe, pure, clear nose with great class and distinction. Such fine tannins! Amazingly intense with ripe plum and black cherry fruit. As the mid palate drives more cool minerality shows with great complexity and expression. Pretty raspberry fruit on the finish which has great freshness and persistence. - April 2019

Darkest crimson. Black fruit, pencil shavings and a touch of oaky char on the nose. Compact and refined in texture on the palate, very fine tannins. Much the most elegant of the Moueix stable, with impressive persistence and harmony even now, just needs a lot of time to unfurl and for the tannins to release the fruit in all its richness. Finishes fresh and dry and clean in the mouth even if the oak is blocking it a little at the end. Powerful but not overbearing. - Julia Harding, jancisrobinson.com, April 2019