1982 Château Bélair

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 sense of ripeness that is so representative of the vintage. Considering the bottle has just been opened and had no chance to breath, other than the briefest of decants, it's remarkable how expressive it is already. Meanwhile, the nose continues to develop. There's no shortage of tannin here but all that lively ripe fruit coats the palate so the structure of the tannins plays the supporting role it should. This is not a wine to rush so I'll leave it there for now and come back in an hour...

Boiled beets, roasted shallots and chestnuts are coming through on the nose now. The palate is all cherry pie and Bakewell tart now.

Time passes and the flavour seems to be all about ripe apricots and peaches, whilst a profoundly tobacco character has come to dominate the nose.

This isn't a delicate or sexy wine but rather it shows finesse in its firm and self assured nature.

I can't imagine there will be a better time to drink the '82 Belair. Complex and evolved, whilst retaining ripe fruit and freshness for its age. It's spot on now.

By Simon Quinn

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