Wonderful aromas of fresh flowers, blackberries and cherries. Licorice and lilacs, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined, translucent and weightless. Incredible purity and excellence. This is the heart and soul of the property in a glass. Really pinpointed at the end. Enchanting and thought-provoking. Needs time to open and soften. Try after 2028.

One of the standouts in 2019. Red fruit aromatics are so clear on the nose, strawberries and sweet red cherries with some bramble floral notes - delicate and liffed. Gorgeous expression on the palate, so finely framed with tannins that are smooth and supple, effortlessly coating the mouth and giving life to the bright cherry and raspberry fruit. This has grace - slender and smooth - the flavours just glide across the palate, filling out the mouth with lashings of limestone terroir markers - crystalline fruit purity, crushed stones, mint and minerality. Clearly concentrated, there's layers of flavour but there's also such persistence, the flavours go on and on. Wonderful lift and so charming. I absolutely love it. Drinking Window 2030 - 2050
Tasted by Georgina Hindle (at Bordeaux, 05 Jan 2022)
Part of Bordeaux 2019 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines

The 2019 Bélair-Monange shows wonderful delineation and focus on the nose, which presents a cornucopia of red fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petal and light black truffle aromas. It seems to gain complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, fine delineation and a velvety texture. This builds toward a lavish finish, with dark chocolate and cocoa notes lingering on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle but should repay those with the wherewithal to cellar.

The 2019 Bélair-Monange, currently undergoing extensive renovation, was picked from 19 September to 3 October and matured in 50% new oak. It certainly leans upon red fruit on the nose with vivacious wild strawberry, cranberry and Morello scents, wonderful mineralité emerging with aeration. This really repays patience. Monitoring it over an hour it uncovers more black fruit - keeps you on your toes. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins and a sensual silky texture that belies the sheer depth of this Saint-Émilion. It fans out with abandon on the finish - just an outstanding wine that will offer drinkers many years of pleasure.

The 2019 Bélair-Monange is classy, polished and elegant. In recent years Bélair-Monange has come across as a bit pushed in terms of ripeness, but the 2019 impresses with its sublime balance. Silky, racy and inviting, Bélair-Monange has so much to offer. It is wine that makes its case with finesse more than power. Christian Moueix chuckles that thirty years ago he was criticized for picking too early, but today it is the exact opposite. June 2020

98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc. Barrel sample.
Reticent but lifted nose. Very much a dark-fruit aspect. Delicately fine tannins. Refined in temperament and style. Long and linear. Poised and refreshing. Clean, palate-cleansing finish. Drink 2027 – 2040 James Lawther, June 2020