Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

This close neighbour of Château Ausone has recently changed its name to Château Bélair-Monange, and from 2012 owners J.P. Moueix will incorporate what used to be Château Magdelaine.   Ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Saint-Émilion Classification, Belair has long been one of the more traditional styled Saint-Émilions.   This mature example was a lone bottle from my cellar, purchased some 15-20 years ago. Enjoyed with a simple cheese board at home, it showed the wonderful potential of its prestigious terroir: 1982 Château Bélair 1er Grand Cru St Émilion Wonderfully complex aromas burst forth as soon as the cork is pulled. The colour is brick red at the rim but with a very solid core. There are initial aromas of all kinds of citrus, then cinnamon, nutmeg and dried ginger appear. Delving deeper, as the nose opens forth, I find pomegranate, blueberry and cranberry. The nose is so layered and multi-dimensional, I can't wait to taste this. There's an immediate