Château Belair Dubois Challon 2002
Château Belair Dubois Challon is located in Saint-Emilion , on the right bank of the Bordeaux wine region. The wine was produced by Madame Dubois-Challon's teams until 2006, then bought by the Moueix family before being renamed Château Belair-Monange in 2008. The estate is classified Grand Cru Classé B. Since the merger in 2012 with Château Magdeleine, the vineyard extends over 23.5 hectares.
Château Belair Dubois Challon is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc . It is vinified in the traditional way then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels , 50% of which are new. The 2002 vintage had a mild winter that turned into a cool spring, but heavy rains made flowering patchy. The summer did not warm up and the rains continued during the month of August. An intense heat wave eventually swept through late summer and continued through September and October. These milder conditions took the small crop from potentially mediocre to a surprisingly high quality crop, although careful selection was still necessary.
Grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Franc