Description
Château Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre in Margaux is run by the formidable Jean-Pierre Boyer who at 86 years old (in 2019) has produced 69 vintages in his life, all of them at the same place. Bel Air Marquis d’Aligre is right next to Château Margaux and is home to many old vines, including ungrafted ones that are over a hundred years old. Jean-Pierre Boyer has never followed trends, instead carrying out a long patient three years élevage in cement tanks and then selling the wine when it’s at least ten years old. The wine is the result of a blend of four classic grape varieties, almost in equal parts: 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 15% Petit Verdot.
Tasting Notes :
The 2005 Bel-Air Marquis d’Aligre has a strict, backward, tobacco and graphite-tinged bouquet with more black fruit than red. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, harmonious and crisp with a fine thread of acidity. There is a gentle build in the mouth, quite linear but delivering a very nuanced, lightly spiced, clove-infused finish. This Margaux is endowed with impressive density compared to other vintages tasted, the fruit veering towards black plums and a hint of balsamic.
