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Chateau Belair

Pen a history of Bordeaux, or of St Emilion in particular, and it is not long before one comes across Ausone and Figeac, the origins of which may lie with the poets Ausonius and Figeacus, both names with obvious Roman origins. But thereafter comes a long wait, for St Emilion is a relative youngster compared to other parts of Bordeaux, with many estates laying claim to no more than a century or two of history. One notable exception, however, is Belair. Once a highly lauded estate and yet today bordering on obscure, Belair has a history which may be traced back with confidence as far as the Middle Ages.

This history begins with a military commander named Knollys, an active figure in the Hundred Years' War who held a property at Belair as his residence. 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 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. One such Francophile was Robert de Knollys, a man who went on to become Grand Sénéchal de Guyenne, and it was his descendents that established viticulture at Belair.

Belair By the 18th Century the vineyard was certainly established, and 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 win e 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 chateau, long before such practices were commonplace. By the end of this century, however, the vineyard was no longer theirs, although this would be a temporary hiatus in their tenure. Seized as a bien national during the Revolution, they 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, and was by now certainly eclipsed by his own estate. The property remained in the ownership of the Dubois-Challon family during the 20th Century, passing first to Jean Dubois-Challon, who upon his death bequeathed the estate to his widow, Helyett. During her tenure she shared the responsibilities of running the estate with Pascal Delbeck, and upon her death in 2003 he effectively inherited the estate, as together they had established a company to hold ownership. Delbeck retained control for a few years, although struggling 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 Pétrus, although they have long had a foothold even closer in the shape of Edouard Mouiex who runs neighbouring Chateau Magdelaine. In 2008 Delbeck, still floundering under the weight of his financial burdens including onerous French inheritance taxes, sold his remaining portion of the estate, and today Etablissements J P Moueix own Belair.

The Belair 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 80% of all the vines planted particularly on the clay and limestone, with the other 20% 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/ha and trained in a double Guyot fashion. The vineyard management seems to follow the lines of lutte raisonée 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 has always held a keen interest in, as it is the very basis on which one of his other business interests is founded - and summer trimming of leaves and shoots by the phases of the moon all certainly seem more biodynamic than merely organic. The harvest is naturally manual, and is the work of a team from Manouches who have been turning up every year, without fail, for four decades. The fruit is collected with an ultimate yield in the order of 39 hl/ha, transported to the chai in small crates to protect the fruit from damage, and then fermented by indigenous yeasts. This takes place in stainless steel, which replaced the wooden vats in 1980. Once finished, the wine goes into oak, 50% new each vintage, for up to 26 months before bottling without fining or filtration. The grand vin is Chateau Belair, there is no second wine.

I am of course not qualified to comment on trends at Belair, as I simply do not have an adequacy of data points, having tasted only recent vintages. 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 also has been employed at Ausone for many years. Most critics point out that Belair is lighter, less impressive, less concentrated and on reviewing my notes this still seems to be the case with at least two vintages, the 1998 and the 2003. The former paled somewhat in the company of other Premier Grand Cru Classé chateau in a comparative tasting in 2004, although I did note the wine's elegant nature, something that was also true of the 2003. The style is more lifted and perhaps has less punch as a result, and so perhaps seems less appealing when lined up against its peers. It seems to me that this isn't a style of wine for those who prefer powerhouse, barrique-fermented, 100% new-oak micro-cuvées. And for such wines, perhaps we should be thankful. (10/10/07, updated 13/6/08)

Contact details:
Address: 33330 St Emilion
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 24 70 94
Fax +33 (0) 5 57 24 67 11
Internet: www.chateaubelair.com

Chateau Belair - Tasting Notes

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2007

Chateau 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)

2005

Chateau 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)

2003

Chateau 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)

1998

Chateau 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)