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Chateau 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, 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 property at Belair which he used as a 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. 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 chateau, 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. 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 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 tenure 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 Mouiex who runs neighbouring Chateau Magdelaine. In 2008 Delbeck, still floundering under the weight of his financial burdens including onerous French inheritance taxes, and yet in charge of a vineyard and cellars that required upgrading and thus considerable further fiscal commitment, sold the remaining portion of the estate to J P Moueix, in the shape of father-and-son team Christian and Edouard.

The new regime, who thus now own Belair 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. 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 Chateau 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, Trotanoy and more.

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 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 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. How all this will change under the direction of Christian and Edouard Mouiex remains to be seen. 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. From 2009 the grand vin is labelled Chateau Bélair-Monange, up to 2008 it was simply Chateau Belair, and there is no second wine.

I am of course not qualified to comment on trends at Belair or indeed Bélair-Monange, 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 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, 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. It will be fascinating to see what changes appear in coming years, under new management. (10/10/07, updated 13/6/08, 29/4/09)

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 Bélair-Monange - Tasting Notes

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Chateau 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)

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)

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)

Chateau 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)

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)

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)