Chateau Bel Air - Marquis d'Aligre, Margaux. Sorry, no tasting room...

The Return of Château Bel Air - Marquis D'Aligre!

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We're delighted to again offer the wines of Jean-Pierre Boyer at Chateau Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre in Margaux!  These superb and unusual wines are truly from another era and offer the Bordeaux lover a fascinating glipse into the past... (Wines arrive 11/13)

On our first visit to the estate in January, 2013, we were astonished and delighted to find someone who was so totally "apart" from the techniques and styles of modern Bordeaux. As we have noted in past articles, the wines will not appeal to everyone, and a lengthy decant  - or opening the night before - are required to really appreciate the wine's quality. We think, however, that the wines are well-worth trying and in fact are quite beautiful and extraordinarily complex, if given enough time to awaken.

The estate's principal retailer (the excellent  "Vins Etonnants") calls the wine "untypical and rare, vinified as in the 19th century." Indeed, we were transfixed by the delicacy and complexity of the wines, which bear no resemblance to the dark, oaky, fruit-bombs of today. More a "claret" in style, the wine undergoes a long, slow natural fermentation, with no extraction, then stays in cuve until spring. After a six-month passage in old barrels, the wine spends two to three years in cement vats before bottling and release. The estate has about thirteen hectares, with a few parcels of very old vines, the main parcel being approximately 50 years-old, planted at 10,000 vines per hectare, with part of the vineyard next to that of Chateau Margaux. M. Boyer currently farms only about 3 hectares with the remainder rented to his famous neighbors. While not certified organic, there are no modern treatments and only a bit of organic compost as fertilizer. The blend is approximately 35% Merlot, 30% Cabernet, 20% Cabernet Franc with Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere.

(For those who read French, google the excellent article on Bel air - Marquis d'Aligre by Jacques Perrin "Le Rayas de Margaux.")

We'll present a tasting of all five vintages, along with a small pour of 1970, up the street at Racines NY, date and price TBD...

 

No Longer Available

Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre 1995 Margaux

The wines of Jean-Pierre Boyer at Chateau Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre, are made in the lighter "claret" style of the 19th century. The 1995 shows a light red/garnet slightly mature color with pretty aromas of sweet red currant, cassis and prune with sous-bois, licorice, tobacco, citrus and spice. The palate is delicate and silky, with a firm core of red currant/cassis fruit, framed in firm acidity. Very earthy with fruit liqueur, smoke, mint and minerals in the long finish. Decant a few hours in advance to enjoy this very unusual and beautiful Margaux. Another 5 to 10 years of cellaring would be interesting.  David Lillie

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • no discount
  • $69.99

Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre 1996 Margaux

The 1996 Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre is a completely different style of wine than modern Margaux, especially in this rather cool vintage. On opening the aromas are quite subtle, slightly musty, with bright, sweet red-currant fruit with violet, earth and mineral flavors, a bit austere, but lovely. The palate is deep, firm and earthy with red currant, black cherry and mineral flavors, with brown spice, cedar and licorice.  We would suggest decanting six to eight hours in advance, or cellar for ten to fifteen more years.

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  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • no discount
  • $69.99

  • Organic

Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre 2000 Margaux

Jean-Pierre Boyer makes Margaux that resemble the wines of the distant past. His 2000 shows a slightly maturing red/black color with bright aromas of red currant, cassis and raspberry with cedar, rose, citrus and earthy sous-bois notes, really lovely and complex. Relatively light for a Margaux, the palate is deep and velvety with firm tannins under lovely blackberry and cassis fruit with earth, licorice and mineral flavors. It's delicate and powerful at the same time and very long. Delicious now with three to four hours in carafe or after another ten to twenty years in the cellar.  David Lillie

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  • red
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  • $74.99

Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre 2009 Margaux

The 2009 BAMA shows bright deep red/black color with lovely high-toned red fruit liqueur - strawberry, black currant and cassis, with violet and earth. The palate is dense and ripe with bright acidity - not at all heavy, but with intense black and red fruits backed by flavors of mineral and earth. On day two the bright deep fruits have become more focused and linger on the palate in the long and very mineral finish. This is quite enjoyable as a young wine, especially after a day open, unencumbered by over-extraction and new oak - but beware, this style is for those who like some earth in their Bordeaux! Best to cellar for a very long time...

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  • $89.99

Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre 2010 Margaux

The 2010 Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre is from very old vines and also from approximately 50 year-old vines planted by M. Boyer at 10,000 plants per hectare. There is a long fermentation without extraction, the juice remains in cuve until spring, then spends six months in old barrels followed by two to three years in cement vat. These are wines made in the lighter "claret" style of the 19th century, although the 2010 shows an incredible density of flavor, given the less-extracted style. Upon opening the wine shows subtle aromas of earth, red currant and cherry fruit with licorice and brown spice. The palate is deep and quite expressive with black cherry, strawberry, earth, licorice and mineral flavors, quite Burgundian in texture. The finish is very long with lingering tart cherry, sous-bois and mineral flavors. After two days open (re-corked) the aromas have broadened with  prune, ripe cherry, tobacco, spice and rose and the palate is intense with red and black fruit liqueur, spice box and earth and ending with lingering red fruits and firm acidity. Delicious now with a long decant, this will be an extraordinary mature wine, best perhaps 2035 - 2050. David Lillie

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  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • no discount
  • $84.99

  • Organic
  • Low Sulfur