2025, Château Belair-Monange, SAINT-ÉMILION, 1er Grand Cru Classé

2025 is 98% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc.

Top wine to watch.

Château Belair Monange is now owned by the Moueix family, and has had a new name since the 2008 vintage. This is one of the best vineyards in Saint Emilion and in the 1850s was rated as the appellation's leading property. It is perched at the top of the slope right next to Ausone, near Canon and above Angélus.

Aromatic, sculpted 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. 2033 - 2065. 95-97 Antonio Galloni, vinous.

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. 50% new oak for ageing. 2034-2048. 97 Jane Anson.

The 2025 Château Belair-Monange opens in the glass with rich aromas of sweet cherries, berry preserve and fruit compote mingled with hints of liquorice and spices. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and suave, it's lively and polished, with a rich core of sun-kissed fruit and a youthfully structured finish. 93-95 William Kelley, Wine Advocate