2009 Ch. Bélair

Violet and iris flowers curl up out of the glass alongside soot and campfire smoke, with waves of soft raspberry, black tea, red cherry, strawberry, and plenty of exuberant charm that is typical of the 2009 vintage. The second year under Moueix ownership, who bought this beautifully-situated property in 2008, immediately re-christening it Bélair-Monange after Adèle Monange, who was the first of the Moueix family to live in St-Emilion when the family moved from Corrèze to Bordeaux. Jean-Claude Berrouet consultant. 50% new oak.

Wonderful aromas of fresh flowers, blackberries and cherries. Licorice and lilacs, too. Full-bodied, yet so tight and refined, translucent and weightless. Incredible purity and excellence. This is the heart and soul of the property in a glass. Really pinpointed at the end. Enchanting and thought-provoking. Needs time to open and soften. Try after 2028.

This was the first year that the Moueix family was in charge from beginning to end. They had changed the name for the 2008 vintage from Belair to Bélair-Monange, but had only overseen the harvest. Immediate changes included manually working the soils, ploughing by hand to move the roots deeper down - former owner Pascal Delbeck didn't use chemicals but was a fan of fertiliser. They also increased the green harvest, dropping the crop to concentrate flavours until they could make more fundamental improvements to the vineyard. The results are enjoyable, with an attractive floral edge to the wine and rich raspberry, black cherry and blackcurrant coulis flavours helped by the natural power of the vintage. It doesn't have the concentration of some of the more recent vintages, but this is a lovely 2009. They were still vinifying and ageing in the former underground cellars of Belair at this point.