The origin of the domain dates back to Gallo-Roman times. In the 14th century, the period of English Guyenne, it was owned by Sir Robert de Knolles, Governor of Guyenne, and remained in the Canolle family (Frenchization of Knolles) until 1916, when it was acquired by Edouard Dubois-Challon , then owner of Ausone. The wine, cru "Canolle" then "Bélair", ranks first among the wines of St Emilion in the 18th century. The 1802 vintage is bottled at the Château, a first for the great Bordeaux wines .
The excellence of the cru was confirmed in 1959 as it then became " Premier Grand Cru Classé B ", just behind Ausone and Cheval Blanc. On the death of Heylette Dubois-Challon in 2003, the estate returned to Pascal Delbeck , who had been its manager since 1997. Faced with the difficulty encountered in dealing with the very high inheritance taxes, Pascal Delbeck first sold part and then, in 2008, all of the shares in Etablissements Jean-Pierre Moueix , trader and owner of several major estates in the Libournais including Trotanoy and La Fleur-Pétrus.
From the 2008 vintage, to better identify it (several dozen Bordeaux châteaux bear all or part of the name of Bel Air or Belair), the wine is renamed "Bélair-Monange" in memory of Anne-Adèle Monange , great -mother of Christian Moueix, current owner of the company with her 2 children Edouard and Charlotte. A major rehabilitation program was then undertaken: reinforcement of the limestone plateau mined by the quarries, restructuring of the vineyard, creation of a functional vat room and cellar and restoration of the castle.
Adjacent to Ausone, favorably exposed to the south and the east, the 12.5 ha vineyard extends over limestone and clay-limestone soils resting on the limestone plateau and coasts. The grape variety is made up of Merlot (85%) and Cabernet franc (15%). The average age of the vines is around 60 years and the planting density of 6,600 vines / ha.