Chateau Belair-Monange Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe (B) 2009

Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

1° Grand Cru Classé

23.5 hectares (58 acres)

Asteriated limestone on the plateau 
Blue clay on limestone in the slopes

90% Merlot - 10% Cabernet Franc

25 years

«Culture raisonnée» Soil tilling (4 ways)

Vine growth management adapted to the climatic conditions

Manual harvest
Double sorting: optical and manual

In thermo-regulated concrete and stainless-steel vats

Gentle, controlled maceration and extraction

16-18 months in French oak barrels

(50% new)

85% Merlot - 15% Cabernet Franc

Château Bélair-Monange traces its origins back to Roman times. Situated at the highest point of Saint-Émilion’s famed limestone plateau, it has long been considered one of the region’s very best crus. By 1850 it was ranked by Cocks & Feret as the leading wine of Saint-Émilion, a position it held well into the twentieth century.
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix purchased the iconic Château in 2008 and immediately undertook extensive renovations of the vineyard, winery, underground quarries, and château in order to restore the cru to its rightful historic status.
In 2012, Château Magdelaine, a contiguous Premier Grand Cru Classé acquired by Jean-Pierre Moueix in 1952, was merged into Château Bélair-Monange. The name ‘Monange,’ in addition to its literal translation, ‘my angel,’ was the maiden name of Jean-Pierre Moueix’s mother, Anne-Adèle, the first Moueix woman to call Saint-Émilion her home.
Château Bélair-Monange combines the terroirs of the most privileged sites of Saint-Émilion. The limestone from the central plateau parcels offers freshness, minerality, and delicate, lingering aromatics, while the dense, blue clay of the slopes provides intensity, length, and a unique elegance to the wine.

2009 stands out as a year with almost perfect weather conditions. After a cold winter, the wet spring resulted in rapid flowering at the end of June. A warm, sunny summer (equal to that of 2005) followed, and the sunshine remained consistent during September, aside from a short spell of rain interrupting the harvest.
Harvest took place from October 2nd to 6th.

“One of the greatest vintages of the last 60 years, and already a benchmark for its power and natural concentration” – Christian Moueix