Château Bélair-Monange 2025

Gorgeous nuanced crushed red rose petal nose, this has a lot of juice running right through the palate and is totally delicious, cherry pit, savoury blueberry and cranberry fruits, a ton of limestone signature, long and drawn out on the finish. Again a limestone junkie wine but here you will definitely get your fix.

Gorgeous aromas, such a concoction of freshly picked red and black fruit with rose petals and violet touches. Creamy and cool, this has a soft texture – tannins are round and charming, generous but not overwhelming, supporting the cool blue fruit. Layered and finessed, definitely not as sharp as some and although there is a dollop of mouthwatering acidity, this is more relaxed and reserved, quiet with a gentle power and push from start to finish. I love the energy and the definition here – it’s pixelated with a lovely frame and such a long finish. Another dark horse, not yet fully shining but with excellent potential.

The 2025 Bélair-Monange is another outstanding wine from Saint-Émilion’s plateau in this very challenging vintage. Aromatic, culpted and wonderfully precise, Bélair-Monange marries power with finesse. Floral overtones, blood orange and a kick of exotic spice meld into red-toned fruit as the 2025 shows off its considerable allure. Clean saline notes appear on the mid-palate, adding tension and energy through to the reverberating finish.

Tight and firm, with toned tannins that run the length of the wine and create energy in the finish of crushed stones and chalk. Medium- to full-bodied. Its power spreads nicely across the palate. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.

Deep ruby-garnet color with violet highlights and a subtle lightening at the rim. Delicate nougat, black wild berry jam, ripe heart cherries, still somewhat reserved, with a floral touch in the background. Full-bodied, juicy, dark berry fruit, subtle extract sweetness, velvety tannins, elegant and lingering, a seamless wine of great length, harmonious and already well-developed, with assured aging potential.

Attractive pitch of red-berry fruit on the nose. An undercurrent of tension on the palate but with adequate fruit and polished tannins. Builds to a firm finish. Chalky terroir evident but contained.