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Château Bélair-Monange

Pen a history of Bordeaux, or of St Emilion in particular, and it is not long before one comes across Ausone and Figeac, two estates which are commonly regarded as having ancient origins, in these cases with the poets Ausonius and Figeacus, both names that will be familiar to any scholar of the Roman Empire. But thereafter comes a long interlude, for the majority of St Emilion estates are relative youngsters compared to these two, with many of the properties in this appellation laying claim to no more than a century or two of history. One other notable exception, however, is Bélair-Monange, until recently known simply as Belair. Once a highly lauded estate and yet today bordering on obscure (although, now in the hands of the Moueix family, that is surely set to change), Bélair-Monange has a history which may be traced back with confidence as far as the Middle Ages.

From Belair to Bélair-Monange: A History

This history begins with a military commander named Knollys, an active figure in the Hundred Years' War who owned a residential property at Belair. Although the tide of war was eventually to turn in favour of the French, and many of the English were to return home, not all did so. This is perhaps unsurprising, as the sequence of wars collectively described as the Hundred Years' War made for an obviously lengthy affair, and by the time it was all over some families of English descent had been living on French soil for several generations. Those that decided to stay married into local society and gradually became quite indistinguishable from the true French. Robert de Knollys, a man who went on to become Grand Sénéchal de Guyenne, was one such Francophile, and it was his descendents that established viticulture at Belair.

By the 18th century the vineyard was certainly established, and it remained under the ownership of the Canolle family, direct descendents of Robert de Knollys, the name having mutated somewhat over the intervening centuries. The family were well-to-do, and owned several properties in the region, including vineyards that today are better known as Lescours and Monbousquet. The Belair estate, however, would seem to have been the jewel in their crown, the wine selling at a price sufficiently high to suggest it was one of the leading vineyards of the region. The landlords would appear to have been forward-thinking, making full use of cask ageing but then bottling the wine at the château, long before such practices were commonplace. By the end of that century, however, the vineyard was no longer theirs, although this would be a temporary hiatus in their tenure. Despite its seizure as a bien national during the Revolution, the Canolles subsequently regained control of the property upon their return from exile in 1802. Although there are a number of discordant accounts of exactly who owned the estate in the interim, it seems likely that it had been acquired and cared for in their absence by a middleman. This could have been Goudicheau, their old régisseur, or a local négociant named Chaperon, who seemed to make a living out of trading in seized properties, or perhaps as is likely both worked together on this little project. Either way, the return of the Canolle family in 1802 marked the beginning of another century of their residence at the property.

This tenure finally came to an end in 1916, when the estate was purchased by Edouard Dubois-Challon of neighbouring Ausone. He acquired a vineyard that had been ravaged by phylloxera and which was in decline, the wines certainly inferior to those of his other estate. The property remained in the ownership of this family during the 20th century, passing first to Jean Dubois-Challon, who upon his death bequeathed the estate to his widow, Helyett. During her period of ownership she shared the responsibility of running the estate with estate manager Pascal Delbeck and, because they had established a company to hold joint ownership, upon her death in 2003 he effectively inherited the estate. Delbeck retained control for a few years, although as he struggled financially he was forced to sell a 30% interest in the property, the investor being Etablissements J P Moueix, who are obviously most famous for their running of Petrus, although they have long had a foothold even closer in the shape of Edouard Moueix who runs neighbouring Château Magdelaine. In 2008 Delbeck was still floundering under the weight of considerable financial burden, including the ever-onerous French inheritance taxes, and yet he remained in charge of vineyards and cellars that required upgrading and thus continued to demand considerable further fiscal commitment. The only solution was to sell up, and that year Etablissements J P Moueix, in the shape of father-and-son team Christian and Edouard, purchased the remaining 70% of the business.

The new regime, who thus now own this estate outright, will provide welcome investment; speaking in early 2009 during the 2008 primeur tastings Christian Moueix made clear that there was much work to be done at Belair, especially in cleaning up and refurbishing the cellars it seems. But there are other changes afoot too; perhaps keen to make their mark on a well known property associated with one family for so long, within months of purchase the Moueix family renamed the estate Bélair-Monange, introducing a new label (pictured above) as they did so. This new suffix is in honour of Anna-Adèle Monange (1887-1972), the wife of Jean Moueix who moved to St Emilion from Paris in 1931, purchasing and settling at Château Fonroque. It was their son, Jean-Pierre, who started up Etablissements J P Moueix, the négociant firm that now owns, manages or represents many of the big names in Pomerol, including Petrus and Trotanoy, to name just two.

Bélair-Monange: The Vineyard and Wines

The Bélair-Monange vineyard is located just to the south of St Emilion itself, and accounts for 12.5 hectares of the commune, of which 40% are on south-facing limestone slopes around the town, the balancing 60% up on the plateau with similar terroir. Merlot dominates, as it accounts for 85% of all the vines planted particularly on the clay and limestone, with the other 15% entirely Cabernet Franc which tends to be on soils of alluvial silt and sand, as well as some limestone. All told the vine age averages out at 40 years, although some individual vines which survived the devastating frost of 1956 date back to 1900. They are planted at a fairly standard 6600 vines per hectare and are trained in a double Guyot fashion. The vineyard management under Delbeck seemed to follow the lines of lutte raisonnée at the very least, and some methods employed sound more in keeping with biodynamics. Treatments with 'dynamic' preparations made from nettles, homeopathic practices - something Pascal Delbeck always had a keen interest in - and summer trimming of leaves and shoots by the phases of the moon all certainly seem more biodynamic than merely organic. Under Delbeck the harvest was naturally manual, and was the work of a team from Manouches who have been turning up every year, without fail, for four decades.

Of course, under the direction of Christian and Edouard Moueix and newly appointed oenologist Eric Murisasco much of this is set to change. One of the most notable developments has been a dramatic reduction in yields, moving from a typical pre-Moueix figure in the order of 39 hl/ha down to 18 hl/ha for the 2008 vintage and 13 hl/ha in 2009. What is picked is transported to the chai in small crates to protect the fruit from damage, and it is then passed through an optical sorting machine introduced for the 2009 vintage before fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Many years ago this took place in a mixture of wood and concrete, but the former were replaced, and it is now a combination of concrete vats and stainless steel. Once finished, the wine goes into oak, currently up to two-thirds new each vintage although this is likely to change. There is a traditional racking every 3-4 months and the wine is bottled after an egg-white fining. From 2008 the grand vin is labelled Château Bélair-Monange, up to 2007 it was simply Château Belair, and there is no second wine.

The wines do not have the same reputation, style or price as those of neighbouring Ausone, even though the two estates have a long-lasting connection in the shape of the Dubois-Challon family, who at one point owned both properties, and also in Pascal Delbeck, who was employed at Ausone for many years. Most critics point out that the wines of Belair have tended to be lighter, less concentrated, on the whole less impressive, and on reviewing my notes this still seems to be the case with at least two vintages where I can compare, the 1998 and the 2003. The former paled somewhat in the company of other Premier Grand Cru Classé châteaux in a comparative tasting in 2004, although I did note the wine's elegant nature, something that was also true of the 2003.

Nevertheless, what matters now is how the Moueix family will develop this estate and it seems very likely - indeed there is already evidence - that quality is set to climb here. There is clearly a more dedicated and fastidious approach being applied in both vineyard and cellar, The wines already seem richer, darker and more impressive. Sadly, it is not just the style that is migrating, but also the asking price. Under the control of the Moueix family the asking price - admittedly somewhat influenced by the high quality of the 2009 and 2010 vintages, which engendered higher prices across all Bordeaux - has more than doubled. (10/10/07, updated 13/6/08, 29/4/09, 13/10/11)

Contact details:
Address: 54, quai du Priourat, 33502 Libourne
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 51 78 96
Fax: +33 (0) 5 57 51 79 79
Internet: www.moueix.com
GPS: 44.887861, -0.159002

Château Bélair-Monange - Tasting Notes

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Château Bélair-Monange (St Emilion) 2010: Now a Moueix property, and quite appropriately there is now a new label. Glossy, crimson-purple hue. Rather dark fruits on the nose here, with quite a savoury feel to them too. Just a little hint of reduction on this sample though? Nevertheless, a finely polished feel on the palate, gently creamy but not fat, not sweet but savoury instead, the fruit dark. This shows a lovely combination of acids in the middle and a light tannic seam running through it alongside. Polished finish. There is certainly fine and rather restrained potential here. From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 17-18/20 (April 2011)

Château Bélair-Monange (St Emilion) 2009: Previously simply Belair. A Moueix wine now. Rather dark and slightly smoky fruit here, and on the palate a supple style, quite fleshy, with good supporting acidity at the core. Ripe and well balanced tannins, supple and appropriate, although giving a very good backbone. Supple fruit. This is a very good style with plenty of well honed structure for the future. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 17-18+/20 (March 2010)

Château Bélair-Monange (St Emilion) 2008: Previously known as Belair, the Moueix family acquired full ownership of this property in 2008, and have renamed it in honour of Anne-Adèle Monange, Jean Moueix's wife (and thus Jean-Pierre's and Christian's mother and grandmother respectively). Rather muted fruit on the nose, a little hot perhaps, but there is a nice creaminess on entry. There is texture here, good balance, and a firm structure. Good acidity, slightly bitter substance, but there is certainly some good potential here. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16-17+/20 (April 2009)

Château Belair (St Emilion) 2007: Sweet fruit, vanilla cream, attractive summer pudding character on the nose. A supple flesh on the palate, quite nicely balanced, softly styled with a gentle composition. Quite firm underneath though. A good presence of clean fruit at the finish, where there is a little more tannin evident. Good potential here. From my 2007 Bordeaux en primeur assessment. 14-15+/20 (April 2008)

Château Belair (St Emilion) 2005: An appealing nose, with ripe plummy and herby fruit, with a layer of nutty oak showing through. The palate is attractive, with a rather complete and gentle style compared to many other wines. Elegant rather than forceful, well composed, with a firm acid backbone providing some freshness. Underneath it there is good structure. Very typical understated Belair style; certainly promising potential here. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 17.5+/20 (October 2007)

Château Belair (St Emilion) 2004: There are vibrant fruits in evidence here, red fruits predominantly, still with a trace of toffee and vanilla, faint notes of the oak still fading. Rather dry and reserved on the palate, showing a lot of structure, very spicy tannins, and a moderately fleshy, creamy texture. Firm acidity. It seems quite unintegrated at present, but it may come good with time. It certainly has a lot of grip. From a 2004 Bordeaux tasting at four years of age. 16+/20 (November 2008)

Château Belair (St Emilion) 2003: Lovely nose here, showing some exotic, plummy fruitcake character. Cool, stylish entry. rather firm presence on the palate, less, textured and opulent than the nose suggested. But it has a pleasing elegance. Ripe, integrated, slightly brawny. Grippy finish. Good style here. From my Bordeaux 2003 assessment. 16/20 (October 2005)

Château Belair (St Emilion) 1998: A close neighbour to Beau-Séjour Bécot. The vineyards are planted with Merlot 80%, and Cabernet Franc 20%. A lighter, less dense colour here. The nose is more open, with some upfront fruit and a confected edge. It doesn't immediately appeal. The palate is lighter than many other wines here, and has less of everything - tannin, body and structure. There is elegance though - a plus point. Red fruits complete the picture. Good at best. From a tasting of 1998 St Emilion. 15.5/20 (May 2004)