2013, Château Belair-Monange, SAINT-ÉMILION, 1er Grand Cru Classé 'B'

Bordeaux Blend: Merlot, Cabernet Franc.

This is fruit-forward, with raspberry and redcurrant notes and a beautiful smoky edge. 2013 was the most challenging vintage of recent years, and yet this is gulpable stuff. It's extremely good for the year, helped by the complexity of the vineyard. Although the limestone plateau found it tough to ripen, the south-facing slopes were warmer and therefore the grapes for this wine were largely drawn from there. It was also helped by the fact that behind the scenes they were working on the creation of a second wine - the first commercial release of which was 2014 - allowing for greater selection in the grand vin at this point. 92 Jane Anson.

Bright dark red. Flowers and sweet spices complement strawberry and blackcurrant on the captivating nose. At once big and juicy, showing good sweetness and texture to the red and dark berry flavours lifted by peppery acidity. The finish is long and minty, with a repeating violet note. Though this wine struck me as much lighter and less complex than recent vintages of Belair-Monange, I also think it's potentially the most noteworthy out performer in the J-P Moueix stable this year, along with Lafleur-Petrus. 89+ Ian D'Agata, Vinous (2014).

The 2013 Belair-Monange has good depth for the year, although some rough edges remain, which is understandable considering the blend was finalised just two weeks before this tasting. Firm tannins support game, smoke, tobacco and dark red stone fruits. It will be interesting to see how the 2013 develops over the next year. There is an attractive juiciness, especially on the finish, that bodes well for the future. 89-91 Antonio Galloni, Vinous (2014).

The 2013 Belair-Monange from JP Moueix is adorned with a Merlot-driven bouquet as you would expect, albeit more plush than I anticipated: quite floral with rose petal littered over attractive redcurrant and black cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannin. No, it is not quite as detailed as the 2013 Trotanoy and perhaps comes across a little pinched on the finish, nevertheless there is decent weight and body here, a fine structure, and if graced with a couple of years in bottle it should drink well for 12-15 years. Though not achieving the level of Trotanoy, this should still drink well for several years. 90 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate (2016).

One of the few stars of this difficult vintage, Belair-Monange’s 58 acres of incredibly well-placed vineyards (that includes all of the chateau formerly known as Magdelaine) produced only 950 cases from frightfully low yields. Thanks to the efforts made by the Moueix family, particularly Christian’s son Edouard, this is one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple colour, and pure, flowery, black raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of chalky minerality. The wine is medium-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and appears to be an aberration in a vintage such as 2013. Kudos to Edouard Moueix and his team for this remarkable success. Drink it over the next 12-15+ years. 91-93 Robert M. Parker, Jr., Wine Advocate (2014).

There's brooding blackberry fruit on the nose, but not very expressive on the day of tasting. In the mouth the wine is svelte and more open than the nose, showing ample fruit and spice, as well as a vivid character unusual in 2013. It's concentrated and tannic but also appealingly textured, with some complexity on the finish. 93 Stephen Brook, Decanter (2023).

Drinking Window: 2019-2038