History
In the heart of the Lussac Saint-Emilion appellation, Château Bel-Air comprises 30 unbroken hectares, including 21 hectares of vines. In 1978, Jean-Noël Roi took over the estate which had been in his family for over a century.
Vineyards
The vineyard stands on a wide plateau of clay with areas of silica gravel, with a subsoil of clay and iron pan.
It is composed of :
70% de Merlot
15% Cabernet Franc
15% Cabernet Sauvignon
The vines are, on average, 35 years old, a good age for producing well balanced wines.
Winemaking
The grapes are harvested only when they are fully ripe, as the quality of the aromas and the later development of the tannins depend on it. Vatting time is long : it takes several weeks to produce a wine that will be good for laying down. Fermentation temperatures are strictly controlled by automatic thermoregulation.
In maturing the wine, the most traditional methods are used : 150 oak stave barrels, one third of which are renewed each yea...