Striking yet elegant, this holds its own being tasted after the more plush and ripe Trotanoy while this is more focussed and streamlined. Just as confident, concentrated and intense but in a different way completely. This is more reserved, refined and less overt, with an incredible purity and precision to the layers of red berry fruit and salinity from the limestone. Such nuance and detail, this is seductive with a powdery texture to the tannins. Really very well worked. Hard to pick a favourite as the length and overall sculpting here are exceptional. A gorgeous wine with star power that really leaves a lingering impression.

Intense aromas of wet earth, limestone cellars and dark fruits such as currants and blackberries. Then turns to flowers. Black truffles, too. Licorice. Gravel. Full-bodied with a solid palate of tannins that melt into the wine. It’s sleek and muscular with fantastic length and presence. Reminds me of great old Belairs from the 1950s. Cool wine. 98% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. Give it six to eight years of time. Best after 2028.

A blend of 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 Belair-Monange has a deep garnet-purple color. It begins on a single note of bright, juicy red berries and roses, before expanding out to a whole array of suggestions of black plums, raspberry preserves, and mince pie, plus wafts of lilacs, loam, and cinnamon toast. The palate is full-on, full-bodied, jam-packed with muscular black and red berry layers and so many floral and savory accents, supported by velvety tannins, finishing with epic length and so much energy that it shimmers.

The Grand Vin 2020 Château Belair-Monange is also 98% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc that's a blend of the upper limestone plateau and the more clay heavy soils on the hillside. Very much in the tight, structured style of the vintage, its dense purple hue is followed by a great nose of ripe black cherries, black raspberries, dried flowers, loamy earth, and camphor, with a beautiful sense of minerality. Opening up with time in the glass, it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered mouthfeel, gorgeous overall balance, and a great finish. It offers pleasure today but will benefit from 7-8 years of bottle age and will be a 30+ year wine.

Spell-binding in every sense of the word, you can sense this is special from the initial sniff with its showy bouquet of white and purple flowers, black, red, and blue fruits, crushed rocks, espresso, and licorice. On the palate, the wine is concentrated and intense, finishing with a majestic combination of black plums, black cherries, chocolate, sea salt, and velvet-laced tannins. The final end note appears close to the 60-second mark. This will age and effortlessly evolve for the next 3 decades with ease. Drink from 2027-2060. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2020&wine=Chateau%20Belair-Monange

The 2020 Bélair-Monange has a more backward nose with dense black fruit. There is a very noticeable cedar/Cabernet element here that indicates that it might be Lafleur. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins—another top Right Bank wine with a cashmere/creamy texture. It's lavish and beautifully composed on the ethereal finish. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. -- Neal Martin

(95-97 points) Barrel Sample. This large Saint-Emilion estate is now on top form. Richly structured and with fine dark fruits, it is full of aromatic Cabernet Franc berry flavors along with some powerful tannins. Expect this wine to go far. ROGER VOSS

The 2020 Belair Monange has also turned out nicely in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of rich cherries, plums, sweet spices, rose petals and creamy new oak. Full-bodied, rich and layered, it remains fresh despite its ripe, sun-kissed profile, and its generous payload of tannin helps to integrate its rather lofty level of alcohol. This is a success in its demonstrative, modern style. - William Kelley

A classically styled, slightly austere Bordeaux, with a chalky spine that helps drive red and black currant and plum puree notes along, all while light alder, dried rose petal and light tobacco notes fill in the background. Refined and focused through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2030 through 2040. — J.M.