2013 Chateau Belair-Monange - St. Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe

Decanter.com – 93 pts – SB: *There's brooding blackberry fruit on the nose, but not very expressive on the day of tasting. In the mouth the wine is svelte and more open than the nose, showing ample fruit and spice, as well as a vivid character unusual in 2013. It's concentrated and tannic but also appealingly textured, with some complexity on the finish.* - 02/2023

Falstaff Magazin - 91pts - PM: *Dunkles Rubin, violette Reflexe, breitere Randaufhellung, reife Pflaumenfrucht, feine Waldbeernoten, zart nach Orangenzesten, gut entwickeltes Bukett, ein Hauch von Kräutern. Elegant, fester Körper, dunkle Beeren, schokoladiger Touch, feiner Säurebogen, energisch und frisch, angenehme schokoladige Nuancen im Abgang, verfügt über Entwicklungspotenzial.* - 04/2014

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - (91-93)pts - NM: *One of the few stars of this difficult vintage, Belair-Monange’s 58 acres of incredibly well-placed vineyards (that includes all of the chateau formerly known as Magdelaine) produced only 950 cases from frightfully low yields. Thanks to the efforts made by the Moueix family, particularly Christian’s son Edouard, this is one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, it exhibits a dense ruby/purple color, and pure, flowery, black raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with a hint of chalky minerality. The wine is medium-bodied, beautifully concentrated, and appears to be an aberration in a vintage such as 2013. Kudos to Edouard Moueix and his team for this remarkable success. Drink it over the next 12-15+ years.* -08/2014

Vinum Bordeaux-Special 05/2014: *Dicht und vollmundig, mit Frische und Rasse: zeigt Klasse, Eleganz, Harmonie und Raffinesse. (16,5/20)*
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Vinum Extra Bordeaux 2016: *Geschmeidig, zugänglich, spürbare Herbe und Frische, elegant, schöne Länge auf erfrischenden Kräuternoten. (16,5/20)*

Weinwisser - 17/20pts - RG: *Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Süsses, kompottiges Bouquet, Honigpartien, erkaltete Pflaumenmarmelade, Dörrfrüchte. Fülliger, cremiger Gaumen, erstaunlich konzentriert, kerniges Extrakt, das gibt ihm aber Rasse und balanciert die imposante Süsse, welche sich auch im Gaumen zeigt. Irgendwie ist dieser 2013er genau das Gegenteil von dem, was man in den letzten Jahren antraf. Schwer einzugliedern, aber mich hat er beeindruckt, weil er von allem etwas mehr drin hat als vergleichbare Konkurrenten. Das Ganze spielt sich aber nicht im modernen Vinifikationsbereich ab.* - 04/2014

JamesSuckling.com - 92pts - JS: *Fresh and bright with raspberry, chalk and stone aromas and flavors. Medium body, fine tannins and a fresh and clean finish. Great surprise. Delicious already.* - 02/2016
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JamesSuckling.com - (88-89)pts - JS: *A linear wine with blueberry, mineral and dark-chocolate character. Medium body. Firm tannins.* - 04/2014

Vinous.com - (89-91)pts - AG: *The 2013 Belair-Monange has good depth for the year, although some rough edges remain, which is understandable considering the blend was finalized just two weeks before this tasting. Firm tannins support game, smoke, tobacco and dark red stone fruits. It will be interesting to see how the 2013 develops over the next year. There is an attractive juiciness, especially on the finish, that bodes well for the future.* - 04/2014

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - 90pts - NM: *The 2013 Belair-Monange from JP Moueix is adorned with a Merlot-driven bouquet as you would expect, albeit more plush than I anticipated: quite floral with rose petal littered over attractive redcurrant and black cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannin. No, it is not quite as detailed as the 2013 Trotanoy and perhaps comes across a little pinched on the finish, nevertheless there is decent weight and body here, a fine structure, and if graced with a couple of years in bottle it should drink well for 12-15 years. Though not achieving the level of Trotanoy, this should still drink well for several years.* -10/2016