Bélair-Monange St-Emilion Grand Cru 2019

99 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "One of the standouts in 2019. Red fruit aromatics are so clear on the nose, strawberries and sweet red cherries with some bramble floral notes - delicate and liffed. Gorgeous expression on the palate, so finely framed with tannins that are smooth and supple, effortlessly coating the mouth and giving life to the bright cherry and raspberry fruit. This has grace - slender and smooth - the flavours just glide across the palate, filling out the mouth with lashings of limestone terroir markers - crystalline fruit purity, crushed stones, mint and minerality. Clearly concentrated, there's layers of flavour but there's also such persistence, the flavours go on and on. Wonderful lift and so charming. I absolutely love it. Drink: 2030-2050. (Jan 2022)"

99 points James Suckling: "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. (12/5/22)"

98+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2019 Belair-Monange is a blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple colored, it sashays out with alluring notions of black raspberries, redcurrant jelly, preserved plums, and wild blueberries, plus hints of cinnamon stick, rose oil, underbrush, and dark chocolate. Full-bodied, concentrated, and impactful, it has a solid line of ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and fragrant. Drink: 2026-2055. (5/9/22)"

98 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The flagship 2019 Château Belair-Monange checks in as 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc from 25-year-old vines and raised in 50% new French oak. It's a magical wine in the vintage and offers more depth and richness than just about every other Saint-Emilion out there, all while holding onto a gorgeous sense of finesse and elegance, which would almost have me guessing Pomerol in a blind tasting. Deep red and black fruits, truffly earth, tobacco, and spring flower notes all emerge on the nose, and this puppy is full-bodied, has a layered, seamless mouthfeel, gorgeous tannins, and one heck of a great finish. It's stunning, and while it offers incredible pleasure today given its purity and flawless balance, it deserves 7-8 years of bottle age and will evolve for 30 years or more. Drink: 2029-2060. (4/11/22)"

98 points Peter Moser (Falstaff): "Dark ruby, violet tints, delicate bright rim. Ripe cherries, fine dark berry confit is underlaid with delicate nougat and noble wood, fine bouquet. Complex, elegant, pleasant sweet extract, silky tannins, fine acid structure, balanced, as if from one cast, already well developed, promising potential, a delicate, already in youth, immensely seductive wine. Almost perfect. (6/15/20)"

97 points Neal Marin (Vinous): "The 2019 Bélair-Monange shows wonderful delineation and focus on the nose, which presents a cornucopia of red fruit, crushed stone, wilted rose petal and light black truffle aromas. It seems to gain complexity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, fine delineation and a velvety texture. This builds toward a lavish finish, with dark chocolate and cocoa notes lingering on the aftertaste. It will need several years in bottle but should repay those with the wherewithal to cellar. Drinking Window: 2026-2050. (Feb 2022)"

97 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Such a lesson in limestone terroir with its precision, knife-spliced and restrained violet flowers, raspberry and redcurrant fruits. You need to chisel through the austerity to get to the creamy, fleshy side of these fruits but it is very definitely there. So good, enjoy, take your time, give 6 to 8 years to fully let that creamy raspberry puree and deeper black cherry side come out to join saffron, sage and slate minerality. Love it. Harvest September 19 to October 3. 50% new oak. Drink: 2029-2048. Alcohol 14.5%.(12/15/21)"

97 points CellarTracker.com community score.

96 points/'Editors' Choice,' Wine Enthusiast: "[$197 list] A structured, elegant wine at the top of its form. It has ripe blackberry fruits, a rich texture and a fine future. Solid but with a fine style, the wine will be ready from 2027. Alcohol 14.5%. (Oct 2022)"