2012 Château Belair-Monange

Château Belair-Monange is a 30-acre estate in St.-Emilion. It was unitl 2007 called Château Belair. Due to changes in ownership, the name since 2007 has been Château Belair-Monange. Located near Château Ausone, the estate has existed since the 18th century and in 1916 it was purchased by Edouard Dubois-Challon, who also owned Ausone. Today the estate is owned by JP Moueix, who amended the name of the estate. The estate grows 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc.

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.