Château Bel Air-Marquis d'Aligre - Margaux - Rouge - 1996

Wine:

It is a rarity! Château Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre 1996 is a wine that stands out from the crowd. It is a marvel of smoothness and freshness, with delicate aromas of red fruit and spice and a great softness of palate. Everything is suave, perfectly polished, and tasty, bursting into a long finish. Perfect today, you can enjoy it decanted with simmered meat or a small game. Its potential is still great; the most zealous can still wait... A true work of art. Emotion is at its peak!

Vinification:

Hand harvested, selection of the best parcels, indigenous yeasts, vinification and maturation of 36 months in concrete tanks, no filtration. Bottled at the château.

Color:

Red-orange, brown-orange reflections.

Nose:

Noble and beautifully evolved with notes of stone fruit, spice, tobacco, surprisingly weathered wood when there is no wood at all in this wine, and a touch of graphite provided by the Cabernet.

Palate:

Full and elegant , this wine delivers a marvel of slender palate, fresh and smooth Everything is suave, perfectly polished and tasty, bursting into a long finish.

Temperature:

Decant before serving between 16 and 18°C.

Food and wine pairing:

Shoulder or leg of lamb in a herb crust and pan-fried mousserons, simmered meat, small game in brown sauce, matured farmhouse Saint-Nectaire cheese.

Cellar aging:

From now until 2028 and beyond for enthusiasts

A true free thinker, who sees beyond the Bordeaux system and its many constraints, Jean-Pierre Boyer is a master in creating rare and exquisite Margaux.


A wine unlike all others that is acclaimed by critics and amateurs from around the world. With more than 70 harvests to his credit, the man is not simply a winemaker. He is a true artist who knows how to prioritize the vineyard, searching for and selecting only the ripest and most perfect grapes for his wines. A true eccentric, he prefers to age his wines in vats until May, then in wooden barrels for a short time before returning them to age in vats for two more years, just like it used to be done in the 19th century. A long and intricate aging process that confers a unique finesse and smoothness to these wines created by a true maestro! 

Bordering the terroir of the prestigious Château Margaux, the 13 hectares of Château Bel Air Marquis d'Aligre offer an intimate and passionate reading of the Bordeaux region. Only one wine is produced on the estate, and only in good years: this true gem is, therefore, as rare as it is moving. A choice that goes against current trends and which delivers year after year a breathtaking result!