Annonce de Bélair-Monange St Emilion Grand Cru 2016 75cl

Annonce de Bélair-Monange is the second wine of the prestigous Château Bélair-Monange, and is treated with as much care as the grand vin. It has been owned by Jean-Pierre Moueix since 2008, and he henceforth appended the title to include the maiden name of his mother, Anne-Adèle Monange. The terroir here is exceptional, sited on both the limestone plateau and in the Southern parts on dense blue clay; the former brings bite and freshness, the latter, power and a certain suaveness.

The grapes for Annonce are hand-harvested and fermented in a combination of concrete and stainless steel vats. Extraction is done gently, to emphasise the purity of fruit and maintain delicacy. It is then aged in French oak barrels. The resultant wine is seductive in youth, but certainly serious enough to reward a decade of ageing, depending on the drinker's style preference. It is also suggested to decant the wine, if young, for 2 to 3 hours, to enhance the experience.