Chateau Belair-Monange Premier Grand Cru Classe B, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2022

Underlines just how exciting this estate has become in recent years. So much flavour, juice and texture, layers of pleasure, campfire, gunsmoke, steel, raspberry, umami texture with contrast between the creamy ripe fruit coupled with pumice and crushed stones, juicy lift, a ton of pleasure finessed and powerful, exceptional quality and a signal that Bélair-Monanage has really come into its own, Harvest September 8 to 20, Moueix family.

The 2022 Château Belair-Monange comes from a mix of both the upper plateau and the hillsides just outside of Saint-Emilion, with the blend being 99% Merlot and 1% Cabernet Franc. It has a truly sensational perfume of black raspberries, mulled cherries, crushed stone, and graphite that gains intensity and nuances as it sits in the glass. This gives way to a full-bodied Saint-Emilion with a deep, layered texture, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a gorgeous finish. I'd easily put this up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, and to my mind, it’s even better than the Château’s 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020. While it's beautiful even today, I have no doubt this will evolve gracefully for 30 years if well stored.

Loads of mocha, red fruits and hazenut. Nuts too. Wild strawberries and violets. Full-bodied and juicy with dusty and fine tannins that spread across the palate. Lovely soft texture. Elegant and long at the end. Rich and juicy at the end. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc.

Composed of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet-purple color. It needs considerable swirling to unlock scents of blackberry preserves, mulberries, and plum pudding, followed by suggestions of chocolate box, cinnamon toast, Indian spices, and candied violets with a hint of tilled soil. Full-bodied, rich, concentrated, and truly impactful, the palate is beautifully layered and so, so plush, finishing very long and opulent. Pure decadence.

The 2022 Belair-Monange comes across just a little smudged on the nose, black plum and a touch of sloes, hints of blood orange in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, good backbone and real depth with cracked black pepper towards the finish. Maybe it does not quite deliver the personality of its peers, but there is substance and intent. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.

The 2022 Belair Monange opens in the glass with aromas of jammy blackberries, licorice, smoked meats and mocha. Full-bodied, layered and dense, with chalky tannins and a carnal finish, the estate's limestone soils translate into the liveliest wine in the Mouiex portfolio this year, despite its super-ripe profile.