Domaine du Comte LIGER-BELAIR -- 2013s from Cask and Bottle

Domaine du Comte LIGER-BELAIR (Vosne-Romanée)

2013s  from Cask and Bottle

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair said that he began harvesting on October 5. He had to do some triage and overall yields were 22 hl/ha (in 2014, they rose to about 32 hl/ha). As in every year, he chaptalized. Whole clusters were used in varying amounts for the wines. Malolactic fermentations were late – usually they finish in March and April, but for this vintage they finished over summer 2014.

Plenty of wines of quality here.

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Clos des Grandes Vignes blanc

We start with the white that was added to the estate a few years ago. Louis-Michel has done quite a bit of work to improve the vineyard; he believes it has been misunderstood in the past and not given the best of treatment. The wine shows golden apple fruit with richness and good underlying acidity. It is quite expressive. (88-91)

2013 Vosne-Romanée

The village Vosne shows red fruit and minerality in a round body. The wine has good freshness and good penetration. It is excellent for a village wine. (90-93)

2013 Vosne-Romanée   La Colombière

The fruit here is darker than in the regular village Vosne, and there is also more body. The wine also shows good structure and freshness. (90-94)

2013 Vosne-Romanée   Clos du Château

This wine was bottled on 25 September. It is smooth, long, and round with a texture that is almost oily. The fruit here is dark, but not as precise as that for the other two village Vosnes. 90/A

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Chaumes

This is a most attractive wine for its dark, crystalline fruit. (90-93)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Suchots

The Suchots has dark, pure fruit with Suchots earthiness, minerality, and roundness. It is excellent example from this vineyard. (91-95)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Petits Monts

Liger-Belair’s Petit Monts is at the southern limit of the appellation, next to Reignots and by Véronique Drouhin’s Petits Monts. The wine is full with dark cherry fruit, minerality, richness, and roundness, but it is not explosive as, for example, Drouhin’s often is. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Cras

Liger-Belair’s plot is just south of that of Lamarche (both previously had been part of a single ownership). The wine features ripe, pure dark fruit and a bit of spice. It is long and round. (91-95)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Brulées

The Brulées is lighter in the nose than the Cras with some stoniness. The mouth is light, airy, and nervy with dark fruit. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Clos des Grandes Vignes

As mentioned with the review of the white Grandes Vignes, Louis-Michel believes that this property has more potential than it has shown in the past and has been doing work in the vineyard to improve the wines produced. The nose here is stony. The mouth is light but dense with good penetration to the stony red and dark berry fruit. (91-94)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Reignots

Liger-Belair’s portion of the vineyard is the southern part, running from the border with La Romanée at the bottom to the top of Reignots. The 2013 is airy, as usual, with roundness and fruit that is darker than usual. It is very smooth and overall outstanding. (93-96)

2013 Echézeaux

This wine is from the Cruots and Champs Traversins climats of Echézeaux. The wine is spicy, deep, and dark in the nose. The mouth is medium-weight and airy with dark fruit. It does not show the roundness of the Reignots and is more discreet in its dark, spicy fruit. Plenty of finesse here. (93-96)

2013 La Romanée

Not surprisingly because of the proximity of location, the nose here recalls that of Reignots. This wine is all about depth, harmony, and finesse. One has to have patience here, but it should prove to be a great wine, fully worthy of La Romanée’s position on the legendary hill of Vosne-Romanée. (95-99)