Chateau Belair-Monange 2009

ANTONIO GALLONI: "Lively deep ruby-purple. Rather inexpressive nose hints at a calcaire purity to its delicate aromas of floral red berries and minerals. Rich and chewy if a bit backward and sullen today, with pure flavors of blackberry, minerals and licorice. Dry, classic and very light on its feet, this should gain in complexity with elevage Finishes with a chalky calcaire quality and hints of spicy red fruits. This is an archetypical example of a mineral-driven, leaner style of wine that can get overlooked in blind tastings."

DECANTER: "This was the first year that the Moueix family was in charge from beginning to end. They had changed the name for the 2008 vintage from Belair to Bélair-Monange, but had only overseen the harvest. Immediate changes included manually working the soils, ploughing by hand to move the roots deeper down - former owner Pascal Delbeck didn't use chemicals but was a fan of fertiliser. They also increased the green harvest, dropping the crop to concentrate flavours until they could make more fundamental improvements to the vineyard. The results are enjoyable, with an attractive floral edge to the wine and rich raspberry, black cherry and blackcurrant coulis flavours helped by the natural power of the vintage. It doesn't have the concentration of some of the more recent vintages, but this is a lovely 2009. They were still vinifying and ageing in the former underground cellars of Belair at this point."

FALSTAFF: "Frische rotbeerige Frucht, zart nach Weichseln, süße Waldbeeren, attraktives Bukett. Mittlere Textur, frisch, lebendig strukturiert, angenehmer Fluss, feine Schokonote im Abgang, wirkt fast trinkfertig."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Love the soft and velvety tannin with the milk chocolate and fruit character. Full and silky. Long and delicious. So fine. Best wine from this estate in decades. Maybe ever. Best after 2017."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Tasted blind. Very pure and aromatic. Sleek and fresh. Racy. Nicely balanced with a hint of spearmint. Super-fresh finish. Vibrant and well balanced."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Only the second vintage from this cuvee, the 2009 Chateau Belair-Monange comes from a beautiful terroir purchased by the Moueix family in 2008. The 2009 is still a baby, yet packed with potential. Black cherries, tobacco leaf, beautiful minerality and a floral character all emerge from this ripe, full-bodied, opulent wine that expands on the palate, has no hard edges, and a terrific purity of fruit. With sweet tannin and a stack mid-palate, it’s going to drink brilliantly for another three decades."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Full bodied, concentrated with juicy ripe fruits, crushed rock, silky tannins and freshness, this beauty can be enjoyed young, if you prefer primary notes. But I'd wait another 5-8 years and grab all the secondary characteristics that are going to blossom."

THE WINEADVOCATE: "This extraordinary terroir, now exploited by Edouard Moueix, the son of Christian, seems to be coming to life in a dramatic fashion. Never a hedonistic wine, but very intellectual, the 2009 suggests a liqueur of crushed rocks intermixed with black currants and black cherries. Still somewhat closed, medium to full-bodied, and impressive rather than seductive, this is a structured wine that needs to be forgotten for at least a decade, and then drunk over the following 30+ years. If readers are looking for the quintessential example of a terroir-dominated wine, this is Lesson 101 in terroir."

WEINWISSER: "Tiefes Purpur. Offenes, dezent kompottiges Bouquet, helle Edelhölzer und rote Kirschen. Cremiger Gaumen mit fetten, rollenden Tanninen, innen noch leicht kernig, was dem ansonsten burgundischen Wein eine dezent pikant-pfeffrige Note verleiht. Es handelt sich hier um den zweiten Jahrgang von Belair-Monange, der früher schlicht Belair hiess, aber nach wie vor ein Premier Grand Cru ist."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "A core of sweetness shows through this wine. It has juicy acidity shining prominently—it shows its fresh side immediately. Bélair-Monange is still a work in progress, although this will always be a delicious wine."

WINESPECTATOR: "Polished in feel, with alluring notes of cassis, cherry preserves and raspberry cream that impart a decidedly fruit-forward feel. There´s enough subtle underlying tension to give the finish a racy edge and extend the length impressively.--Non-blind Bélair-Monange vertical (December 2016). Drink now through 2030. 1,500 cases made."