Visits

Château Belair
Saint-Émilion Premier Grand Cru Classé B (France)

The estate’s existence has been traced back to the times of the Gauls. As of the 14th Century, it was owned by Sir Robert Knolles (the then British Governor of Aquitaine) and his descendants, and was acquired by the Dubois-Challon family in 1916 and inherited by Pascal Delbeck, the present owner, in 2003. Despite its long history, the estate is unpretentious and the welcome, by Lionel Candau, extremely friendly. The vinification and aging cellars are located in 10 ha of underground limestone tunnels that were once part of the quarries of Saint-Émilion. In a corner of the aging cellars, after passing a cemetery of empty bottles from the 18th and 19th Centuries sitting on an elevated stone mezzanine, an elegant spiral staircase carved in the rock descends into further underground passages, where the estate stores its collection of vintages.

Château Belair, 2005
Good. Clear garnet colour with purple highlights, aromas of caramel and black berries, supple tannins, medium length on the finish, pleasant to drink. Blend of 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. (Mar 2007)

Ownership & Management
Pascal Delbeck (owner since 2003, estate manager and cellar master for over 25 years), Moueix family (co-owners since 2007).

Winemaker
Pascal Delbeck

Vineyard
12.5 ha, planted with 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. About 5 ha are planted on clay and limestone hillsides facing south/south-east, and 7 ha are planted on the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau. Vines are about 40 years old. The estate practices sustainable eco-dynamic agriculture. The grapes are harvested manually in small crates, then de-stemmed mechanically and again sorted manually.
 

Winemaking
The grapes are crushed lightly over small stainless steel tanks where the alcoholic fermentation and the malolactic fermentation take place. The wine is made without industrial yeasts or enzymes. Pigeage is conducted with a machine conceived by Pascal Delbeck (the cap is pressed downward by the action of large screws).

The wine is aged in French oak barrels (50% new) and blended either at the beginning or at the end of the aging process, depending on the year. Before bottling, the wines are fined with egg whites. The yields are low, at about 21 hl/ha.

Wines
· Château Belair (35,000 bottles/year)