Chateau Belair-Monange Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe (B) 2008

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)

83% Merlot - 17% 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.

The north-eastern wind that began blowing on September 19th saved a vintage compromised by an uncertain summer.
Winter was rainy. Spring, after a few rare episodes of frost, was also marked by rainfall, which made for a difficult flowering and, consequently, seriously reduced yiels.
Thankfully, July was sunny and hot, while August and September were quite dreary. The second half of September and the month of October saved the vintage.
When nature is capricious, man’s work is all the more essential. The decision to leaf-thin and green harvest, selecting only the best clusters, was fundamental but cruel, given the small quantity left on the vine. Optical sorting tables further delivered a choice harvest.
Nonetheless, it was thanks to the small amount of clusters left on the vines that maturity could be fully achieved. Harvest took place from October 13th to 21st.