Chateau Belair Monange 1 Cru Grand Cru Classe 2017

Chateau Belair Monange

Château Bélair-Monange, the historic Saint-Emilion vineyard adjacent to the village overlooking the Dordogne river valley, began its remarkable viticultural journey in the 17th century. The estate was already renowned for its wines in 1691.

Owned for over 200 years by the Canolle de Lescours family, the vineyard really began to flourish in the 18th century, under the influence of the first Jacques François Joseph Canolle de Lescours, the 2nd generation to head the estate, then his son, François Antoine Joseph. On the eve of the French Revolution, Bélair wines were sold at two or three times the price of other ‘grands vins’ from Saint-Émilion. As early as 1802, some of the wine produced was bottled at Châteauét, an extremely rare practice at the time.

In the 19th century, the distribution of Bordeaux wines continued to formalize. Official and unofficial classifications emerged to catalog the wines that were recognized at the time. Thus, in 1850, Bélair was recognized in the very first edition of the Cocks & Férêt guide, the list of Premier Crus of Saint-Emilion.

In 1916, the property was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Dubois-Challon, who in turn undertook to preserve the natural elegance and pedigree of the wine. In 2008, Christian and Edouard Moueix fulfilled the ambition of their ancestor, Jean-Pierre Moueix, by acquiring Château Bélair, renamed Bélair-Monange in honor of Anne-Adèle Monange, mother of Jean-Pierre Moueix. A complete restoration of the property was subsequently undertaken. In 2012, the winery was expanded with the addition of parcels from Château Magdelaine, a contiguous Premier Grand Cru Classé, owned by the Moueix family since 1952.

The most urgent task was the consolidation of the quarries, which had been severely weakened by 500 years of irregular exploitation. A colossal undertaking: four years of work were needed to reinforce the pillars eroded by generations of haphazard mining. At the same time, a precise study of the vineyard’s soil and genetic history was carried out to best prepare for the second crucial task: the replanting of vineyard parcels worn by time and age. Particular attention was paid to giving the soil time to rest (an average of five years) and allowing for the rebuilding of the microbiological life so essential to the natural balance of the vineyard.

The third task, the most visible but ultimately the least crucial for the vineyard and the wine, was the renovation of the existing buildings and the construction of a new winery. The first chapter spanned ten years, starting with the Château, originally built in 1750 on the site of an old fortress, followed by the various buildings that made up the village of Villeneuve. An important center of life in the Middle Ages, the semi-troglodytic dwellings were renovated and converted into housing for employees working on the property.