Producer
Thibault Liger-Belair is cousin to Vicomte Liger Belair of Vosne Romanée (some of the greatest Pinots made in Burgundy). In 2001 he took over an old family property in Nuits St Georges, taking back the vines which had been contracted out to various share croppers, and leased a cuverie just down the road. The family jewels (his branch) consist of Richebourg, Clos de Vougeot and Nuits St Georges Les St Georges, to which he has added further vineyards and a few additional cuvées made from purchased grapes.
The vines are now certified organic and farmed biodynamically, with horses used to plough the vineyards where possible. The grapes are rigorously sorted on a table de tri, then destalked and fermented without much punching down or pumping over. They will be racked once during the elevage, but Thibault is not afraid of reductive flavours at this stage which, he feels, adds to the eventual substance and complexity of the wine. The oak regime is not to exceed 50% new barrels but also not to use any barrels more than three years old. The natural style of Thibault’s wines is plump and full-bodied, though the benefits of his farming methods seem to be bringing a more mineral aspect to the fruit as well.
Jasper Morris MW (Inside Burgundy)
Thibault Liger-Belair
Region
The first visit to the hallowed ground of Burgundy is a special one. The region is the high-altar to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and stretches from the outer suburbs of Dijon to Macon in the south at the northern border of Beaujolais. The vivid Chardonnay wines of Chablis are an outlier, situated some 105km to the north-west of Dijon on stark kimmeridgian” limestone. The hallowed ground of the Côte-d'Or is neatly split in two by the town of beaune. To the north lies the Côte de Nuits, home to 24 Grand Cru vineyards; Pinot Noir rules here. To the south of Beaune lies the Côte de Beaune where Chardonnay plays a more dominant role with seven of the eight Grand Cru vineyards producing white wine. Value is to be found further south in the appellations of Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais. Local Knowledge” A meal at Ma Cuisine in Beaune is a must or visit Beaune markets, stock up on provisions and have a picnic at the ‘secret’ picnic table above the famous ‘Cros Parantoux’ vineyard in Vosne-Romanée.
Specifications
-
Cellaring
10+ Years -
Varieties
Chardonnay -
Vintage
2016 -
Alcohol Content
13.5% -
Farming Practice
Biodynamic, Organic -
Closure
Cork -
Bottle Size
750ml
Critic Reviews (1)
Gary Walsh
I know that Mike also tasted this wine recently, and thinks along the same lines. It’s from a tiny .15ha parcel, two barrels produced, and hence, 50% new oak. Spends 7 days on skins. Cop that! Smoke, cloves, cool mint perfume, hazelnut, intense melon and grapefruit, almond – complexity. It strikes on the palate with outstanding grip and texture, tight acidity, something like fresh apricot in the mix, but it’s the soaring length that sets it apart. Hard to recall a Chardonnay with such persistence and line. You’d be hard pressed to find better, and while it clearly needs time to settle, the makings are emphatically of something special.
I know that Mike also tasted this wine recently, and thinks along the same lines. It’s from a tiny .15ha parcel, two barrels produced, and hence, 50% new oak. Spends 7 days on skins. Cop that! Smoke, cloves, cool mint perfume, hazelnut, intense melon and grapefruit, almond – complexity. It strikes on the palate with outstanding grip and texture, tight acidity, something like fresh apricot in the mix, but it’s the soaring length that sets it apart. Hard to recall a Chardonnay with such persistence and line. You’d be hard pressed to find better, and while it clearly needs time to settle, the makings are emphatically of something special.
Showing 1-1 of 1 review
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