Château Belair
Encyclopedia
Château Belair is a Bordeaux wine
from the appellation
Saint-Émilion
, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
. The winery
is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde
. The estate was considered the leading winery of Saint-Émilion for most of the 19th century.
, Belair may also have been the property of the statesman and poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius
(310-395 CE
). The vineyard is thought to have been planted between 1730 and 1750 during the time of Jacques Canolle, a descendant of Robert de Knollys or Knolles, who had owned the land in the 14th century. Exiled during the French Revolution
, the estate was run by the Goudichau family until the Canolles returned in 1802.
In 1916 Belair was purchased by the owner of Ausone, Edouard Dubois-Challon, and the two estates have remained continually connected. After the death of Edouard Dubois-Challon, the estates were run by his widow Helyett Dubois-Challon, since 1975 with the assistance of Pascal Delbeck. When the widow died in 2003, they were inherited by Delbeck who retained control of the estates though having sold a 30% share of the property to JP Moueix
.
Following difficulties paying inheritance tax and other taxes, Delbeck was forced to sell the remainder of the estate to Moueix in 2008.
and 20% Cabernet Franc
. The Grand vin is Château Belair and there is produced no second wine
.
Bordeaux wine
A Bordeaux wine is any wine produced in the Bordeaux region of France. Average vintages produce over 700 million bottles of Bordeaux wine, ranging from large quantities of everyday table wine, to some of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world...
from the appellation
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
Saint-Émilion
Saint-Émilion AOC
Saint-Émilion is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of France, where it is situated in the Libourne subregion on the right bank of the Dordogne...
, ranked Premier grand cru classé B in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
Classification of Saint-Émilion wine
In 1955 the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Medoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 years or so. Following the initial classification, the...
. The winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
is located in the Right Bank of France’s Bordeaux wine region in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department Gironde
Gironde
For the Revolutionary party, see Girondists.Gironde is a common name for the Gironde estuary, where the mouths of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers merge, and for a department in the Aquitaine region situated in southwest France.-History:...
. The estate was considered the leading winery of Saint-Émilion for most of the 19th century.
History
A close neighbour of Château AusoneChâteau Ausone
Château Ausone is a Bordeaux wine from Saint-Émilion appellation, one of only two wines, along with Château Cheval Blanc, to be ranked Premier Grand Cru Classé in the Classification of Saint-Émilion wine...
, Belair may also have been the property of the statesman and poet Decimus Magnus Ausonius
Ausonius
Decimius Magnus Ausonius was a Latin poet and rhetorician, born at Burdigala .-Biography:Decimius Magnus Ausonius was born in Bordeaux in ca. 310. His father was a noted physician of Greek ancestry and his mother was descended on both sides from long-established aristocratic Gallo-Roman families...
(310-395 CE
Common Era
Common Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
). The vineyard is thought to have been planted between 1730 and 1750 during the time of Jacques Canolle, a descendant of Robert de Knollys or Knolles, who had owned the land in the 14th century. Exiled during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the estate was run by the Goudichau family until the Canolles returned in 1802.
In 1916 Belair was purchased by the owner of Ausone, Edouard Dubois-Challon, and the two estates have remained continually connected. After the death of Edouard Dubois-Challon, the estates were run by his widow Helyett Dubois-Challon, since 1975 with the assistance of Pascal Delbeck. When the widow died in 2003, they were inherited by Delbeck who retained control of the estates though having sold a 30% share of the property to JP Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix
Établissements Jean-Pierre Moueix, or JP Moueix, is a Bordeaux négociant house founded byJean-Pierre Moueix in 1937, situated on the Quai du Priourat in Libourne, in the Bordeaux wine region of France...
.
Following difficulties paying inheritance tax and other taxes, Delbeck was forced to sell the remainder of the estate to Moueix in 2008.
Production
The vineyard area extends 12.5 hectares with the grape varieties of 80% MerlotMerlot
Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...
and 20% Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone - as in the Loire's Chinon...
. The Grand vin is Château Belair and there is produced no second wine
Second wine
Second wine is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from cuvee not selected for use in the Grand vin or first label...
.