Visit with Thibault Liger-Belair
Tasted Friday, June 27, 2014 by HowardNZ with 686 views
Introduction
We were very privileged to visit with Thibault Liger-Belair, talk with him at length and taste through a good selection of his excellent wines. Thanks also to Jannine Rickard of Pegasus Bay for organising this.
Thibault's grandfather had a negociant business. He started his own business in 2001.
Early on, he noticed that his vineyard soils were, in his words, a bit dead, so he became organic from 2001 and biodynamic from 2004.
He sees his role as a winemaker being to capture the vineyard style, rather than imposing any style or signature of the winemaker. He sees pinot noir as merely the vehicle, hence his commitment to organic and bio dynamic practises.
Interestingly, Thibault does not practise green harvest, preferring to debud at flowering.
He is keen for new challenges and has been in Moulin-à-Vent since 2008.
By the way, we asked about vintage 2014 and he said that so far it has been very good. To date he has applied two treatments only. At the same time last year he had applied eight.
First, we had the Beaujolais, where Thibault is producing some excellent, high quality wines (he uses no carbonic maceration) ...
2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin-à-Vent Les Rouchaux
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
The grapes were 100% destemmed and old Burgundy barrels used for 18 months with a 30 day fermentation. A deep red, good Beaujolais, showing blackberry and cherry on the nose. On palate, a ripe expression with good tannins, a soft texture with real fruit weight and structure. Thibault saw this as earlier drinking but, ideally, the tannins need 2-3 years to soften. Thibault said that the blue granite at the site gives roundness to this wine.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
Whole bunch 20%. Deep purple/red. A nose of dark berries and some soil. The Vieilles Vignes is a much more pungent and intense expression with racy acids and red and black fruits on the palate. Also, some savouriness with a bit of spice and good structure. It was a full expression but not over-extracted. This is from a shallower soil, with clay, sand and some pink granite and quartz.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin-à-Vent La Roche
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
This wine had just been bottled but exhibited no bottle shock. It is from a site at the top of the hill, 20 metres from the windmill. The site has 20-30 cms of pink sand and then is on pink granite. As Thibault said, this wine needs oxygen. Colour vibrant purple. Strong aromas of raspberry and other red berries. A much finer wine than the last, elegant with softer, fine grained tannins, velvety. Red cherry on the palate. A tighter, longer wine. This also ideally needs a few years. 20% new oak.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin-à-Vent Les Vignes Centenaires
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
This is a special wine. The four of us agreed this was the best Beaujolais any of us has had in our lives. The grapes are from three pre-phylloxera sites from vineyards in the north, south and on top of the hill. The vines were planted in 1875 and 1882. Thibault produces two barrels of this wine from the 0.6 ha area. The area produces at 12 hectolitres to the ha (the AOC allows 55 hl to the ha). The fruit was 50% destemmed, berry-by-berry, 50% whole bunch. New oak 30%, the rest 1-2 years. Colour impenetrable black/red. On bouquet, incredibly perfumed, dark rose petals, blackberries and red fruits, sandlewood, spice etc etc. Layer after layer of aroma. Amazing. And the same on the palate. Huge depth, concentration and power, with incredible elegance. Minute, fine grained tannins. So long I was still tasting this leaving the tasting room to go to the cellar to taste the Burgundies ...
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges La Charmotte
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges
From a site on the north of NSG, with limestone soils. Whole bunch 30%, 50% new oak. Aromas of underbrush, spice and iron. On palate, red fruits and spice, the tannins need five years or so to fully integrate. A rich mouth-feel with power in the mid palate and spice on the finish.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Gevrey-Chambertin La Croix des Champs
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
From a site with clay and silt, no limestone. Colour deep red. Bouquet of red fruit but with savoury elements: earth and mushrooms. Gutsy on palate, but with good suave tannins. You feel the terroir, earthy with a sous bois character, plenty of structure and power too.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
From a site with a lot of limestone, on the middle of the slope. Bright red colour. A perfumed, delicate Vosne nose with some spice. On the palate, light on its feet, but in no way thin. Quite strict and dry (with chalk and minerals) on the mid palate, but then a lovely mouth-feel, satiny texture and silky tannins. Also, quite crystalline in the mouth. A gorgeous Vosne.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
From a site with deep clay soil and limestone deeper down. Oak 40% new, 60% one year. Destemmed 100%. This wine needs plenty of oxygen, Thibault advised. A subtle nose, lightly perfumed, tending red fruit. A silky entry to the palate. A beautifully balanced wine, powerful across the palate, seamless.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Charmes-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
At 17% potential alcohol, the grapes needed to be fully hand destemmed (even though Thibault prefers some whole bunch) and alcohol evaporated down to 15.8% at the end of fermentation. A rare case for him of 100% new oak. A lifted bouquet of spice, red and black berries, with savoury elements. A powerful wine of Grand Cru weight and concentration. Sleek tannins. Flavours of red and black cherries. The alcohol was well integrated, an excellent example of this climat.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
From a 0.7 ha climat on the south side, near Echezeaux. Fruit 100% destemmed, 40% new oak, 60% one year. A pungent, reductive, savoury nose with notes of spicy plums and warm earth. In the mouth, a big, powerful wine of large scale. The flavours were earthy, spicy and mushrooms. A wine with broad shoulders, a dense mid palate and real depth. A little oak on the palate, yet to integrate. Obviously, this needs serious cellar time.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru
New oak 40-45%. A really classy example of this climat. Reduction on the nose blew off quickly, leaving sous bois, mushroomy and savoury notes. Incredibly primary on the palate, this wine needs serious cellar time. Real power, concentration and depth, this shows great tension, the fruit shielded and not showing but very much there.
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2012 Thibault Liger-Belair Richebourg
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
From a 0.5 ha site. Thibault described the terroir as incredibly diverse and complex. A fairly closed bouquet at this stage, some perfume, spice and dark florals. A strict entry to the palate, the explosive flavour comes at the back of the palate and after the wine has been swallowed. Very long. Flavours of cassis and beautiful red berries. An amazing and profound wine.
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2006 Thibault Liger-Belair Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Thibault showed us this 2006 to illustrate his point that he considers 2006 a great vintage. He said its only problem is that it comes after 2005 and is therefore it is in the shadow of that great vintage. On the nose a little pungent, perfumed with spice and red fruits. A lovely wine, presently drinking well. Flavours of red berries, cherries, red currants and raspberries, and spice. Rounded and smooth with good precision and complexity.
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2004 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru
Served blind to us, we picked this as definitely not 2004, perhaps 2003 or 2007. Andrew said it was definitely not NSG, and none of us disagreed, with me picking Gevrey. The bouquet was a little secondary with notes of Epoisses, brushwood, old spices and tobacco, over a core of ripe red fruit. The palate was consistent, a little secondary, showing underbrush character. Thibault wanted us to taste this without prejudice. A good wine that can cellar for the medium term.
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