Wine Advocate 95

Made from a very dry vintage, the 2022 Bel Air is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of menthol, white fruits, confit citrus, honey and pineapple, all framed by a delicate touch of oak. Medium- to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it’s dense and deep, with racy acids and a fleshy core of fruit that concludes with a saline, chalky finish.

Bel Air, from iron-rich clays, is the domaine’s most ambitious Sauvignon Blanc. It undergoes two years of élevage in pièces (225 liters, with about 15% new oak), then spends an additional year in bottle before release. Broader and more textural than Chapitre I, it evokes candied citrus, pineapple and honey, framed by racy acids. This prolonged élevage lends density and persistence, and the wine benefits from decanting as well as extended cellaring.