2005 Belair (St Emilion)

Merest hint of brett? – certainly quite animal. Juicy fruit though with a lot of attack. The tannins are just this side of acceptable. Black cherry fruit with pretty aggressive green tannins but not too alcoholic or porty. Slight hole in the middle. (JR)

Good ruby-red. Fresh, sexy nose features currant, plum and smoked meat. Large-scaled and sweet, even voluptuous for this chateau. Not the last word in personality yet, but this is silky and mouthfilling, and the serious tannins are nicely ripe. (An earlier sample showed blueberry, blackberry and menthol on the nose and palate and came across a bit more medicinal and less fleshy. As a result, the tannins seemed a tad dry. I scored this bottle 88 points.) Belair seems greatly improved beginning with this vintage.

Now that Christian Moueix has bought in to this estate and begun to harvest ripe rather than underripe fruit, as well as institute a selection process, which never before existed, quality has risen. The 2005 may be the finest Belair I have ever tasted (which includes at least 35 vintages). By no means inspiring, especially in the context of the vintage, it is a deep ruby-hued, medium-bodied 2005 offering an attractive, sweet bouquet of black cherry liqueur, earth, and vanilla. It is made in a medium-bodied style that is not dissimilar from Moueix’s nearby premier grand cru classe estate, Magdelaine. There is more minerality here, but this finesse-styled St.-Emilion should be at its best between 2013-2023.