March 26, 2024 - A very strong bottle after a couple which made me believe this was thinning out and on the way down. This bottle was a different beast. CLB hallmark dark sexy cherry fruit in spades. A touch of reduction in the nose. Very full throttle fruit on the mid palate and while ripe still enough sap here, some savoury elements coming through too touch of bay leaf, gravel notes. I think CLB did really well in 09 (but then which vintage did he not?)… great bottle and this particular bottle will hold for a decade for sure so maybe I park my last two bottles for a bit if I can keep my hands off. Then again one wonders especially for the village if drinking them on the young side is advisable while the winemaker signature is still prominent which I really dig and ultimately I would assume that a village while aging well will loose that and possibly succumb to being “just” what it is, a nice Vosne village rather than something that transcends the level which this does at present.
June 9, 2023 - Back to form for this wine (bottle 501 / 2560). A pronounced acidity for the vintage in fact, a faint hint of reduction, and then ripe / sweet attack of macerated cherries on the nose - the palate is a touch more taut and composed. It's not a wine with a long finish but it's just drinking well right now and should hold for 5 years but I would be hesitant to lay it aside for much longer as I feel the fruit will get pushed back too much.
April 11, 2023 - Felt like a root day for this wine. After a great showing in 2019 this slightly disappointed and was a touch sour and tired without following through on the fruit. What's good news is that another recent bottle showed much better so it was either the evening or the bottle of both.
December 13, 2020 - Bright red fruit. Good concentration and texture. This got better with an hour of air out from the bottle (no decant). Mix of red and dark berries, some spice, more nuanced. Really good village level effort.
June 17, 2020 - Closed on the nose but great energy on the palate. A bit foursquare by Liger standards, but very impressive.
January 22, 2019 - I love Comte Liger Belair and after having drunk his 09 Reignots and Romanee I didn't hesitate to order this at the Fat Duck for lunch. I certainly wouldn't come to regret it! Decanted and then drank over 3 hours this was all I was hoping for. Visually fairly developed with some browning, the nose was so sublime with an autumnal bouquet of damp leaves, earth, some wood. The palate showed the oak treatment but unlike a 15 Colombiere I had recently where the new oak seemed to overpower the fruit it was seamlessly integrated here and the fruit had absorbed most of the wood. It was a classy juice with wonderful balance, minerality, and a core sweetness of cherry fruit coming through with more air.
For a village wine this was a total knock-out and in absolute terms an outstanding Burgundy which would easily put to shame most 1er and many GCs. I think this is at peak now. Great stuff.
June 16, 2018 - PNP into Zalto Burgundy glass (“Leaf”): Bright ruby to the eyes.
On the nose mostly red berry (strawberries) and cherry fruits, quite ethereal for a village level indeed. The nose gets more airy with some rest (without swirls) in glass too. Elegant florals and classic Vosne-style spices with some creme on top. The ripeness of the vintage and the fine oak are evident with even longer rest in glass and as the temperature increases a little. Very good depth for this level.
Minerality really comes through on the palate. Good acidity though I won’t mind a little more? Has good volume and a matching level of complexity in flavours. Very refined with suave tannins and a clean, persistent finish.
Very enjoyable now though I am not sure how much more this will offer except softer tannins in time.
A persuasive village wine this is. 93-94 points.
August 20, 2017 - Wow, this is super. It has taken to the second day for this to shine. Red fruit, spice, and a stemmy feel (I don't know if stems are included). This is staining and saturated, textured wine, but it still maintains clarity, purity. This is really delicious, and begs to be sipped. I have quite a few L-B, but I think this is the first one I have drunk. If you open one now, it will need some air, but I think you will happily surprised. Can easily go quite a few more years for sure.
July 13, 2017 - Small Comte Liger-Belair Dinner (Brindille - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. So clearly and beautifully Vosne with baking spice and red berry and cherry. Moderate weight and length, very good+ balance. I was surprised by the vintage, thinking it older than 2009 and more mature vs many other Vosne wines from that very concnetrated vintage. So wonderful right now, but I wouldn't cellar this much longer.
June 26, 2017 - Winos' excellent adventure in France; 6/22/2017-6/27/2017 (All over France): Not sure what happened here. It seems overripe and clumsy. I don’t think this is correct.