Chateau Belair-Monange - St Emilion 2020 (750ml)
Price: $255.00
Sale Price: $229.00
| Producer | Chateau Belair-Monange |
| Country | France |
| Region | St Emilion |
| Varietal | Bordeaux Blend |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Size | 750ml |
2023 James Suckling TOP 100 #78
Decanter: 100 Points
The gunsmoke character is immediately evident on the nose, as is richly expressed damson and raspberry fruit. This is pared back and held back right now, elegant, showing a seductive edge without trying too hard. The texture is softly-brushed velvet, these tannins are front and centre but so fine and so precise that they don't get in the way of the fruit. Salinity from the limestone is evident on the finish, bringing a moreish juiciness and you can scrape your tongue against the pumice stone texture. Austere in all the right ways, with just the most incredible depth and layers. I love it. Harvest September 15 to 23. 98-100.
Wine Independent Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW: 99 Points
A blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet-purple color. It begins on a single note of bright, juicy red berries and roses, before expanding out to a whole array of suggestions of black plums, raspberry preserves, and mince pie, plus wafts of lilacs, loam, and cinnamon toast. The palate is full-on, full-bodied, jam-packed with muscular black and red berry layers and so many floral and savory accents, supported by velvety tannins, finishing with epic length and so much energy that it shimmers.
Others: 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.
Tasted by: Georgina Hindle
(at Bordeaux, 02 Jan 2023)
Part of St-Emilion 2020 in bottle: overview plus top-scoring wines
James Suckling: 98 Points
It’s full-bodied, showing loads of violets, blackberries and blueberries with salt and white-pepper character. Minerally. It’s very fine-grained with a fascinating finish. Intense and long. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. 97-98
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. - By Antonio Galloni on December 2022
Wine Advocate: 97 Points
The 2020 Belair Monange displays an opaque purple-black color, unfurling slowly to reveal a nose of blueberry preserves, stewed plums and Morello cherries, giving way to a fragrant undercurrent of Chinese five spice, incense and dried rose petals, plus hints of fallen leaves, Sichuan pepper and oolong tea. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a fantastically plush texture with mouth-coating black and blue fruits and loads of exotic spice sparks, gently lifted by soft acidity, finishing long and fragrant. 2027 - 2052 95-97
The Wine Cellar Insider: 97 Points
Spell-binding in every sense of the word, you can sense this is special from the initial sniff with its showy bouquet of white and purple flowers, black, red, and blue fruits, crushed rocks, espresso, and licorice. On the palate, the wine is concentrated and intense, finishing with a majestic combination of black plums, black cherries, chocolate, sea salt, and velvet-laced tannins. The final end note appears close to the 60-second mark. This will age and effortlessly evolve for the next 3 decades with ease. Drink from 2027-2060.
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