CLOS VOUGEOT

2017 Grand Cru Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair

EN PRIMEUR

Two thirds of this fruit comes from his plot of older vines planted at the end of the 2nd World War - which he does a lot of 'stemwork' on - these whole bunches account for 40%. The final third comes from much younger plot on the Echezeaux side, these vines were planted in 2012 and are all destemmed. Tasted after the Corton you are struck immediatley by the more structured frame. Intense and powerful. There is an earthy grunt, a compacted mineral drive through the middle. Crunchy fruit - a wilder side. Unmistakably serious, grand cru lines which are joyfully gilded with nicely brambling fruit and lots spice. A 'lifting' energy builds. Very good, sophisticated. Drinking range: 2022 - 2032L&S (Nov 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

The 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru offers red plum and cranberry scents on a slightly muffled, earthy nose; quite exotic, but not in a good way. The palate is medium-bodied with dense, chewy tannins. A thickly-textured Clos de Vougeot that lacks elegance on the finish. TCA? Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2017 tasting. Rating: 0 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2022)

The 2017 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru includes around 30% whole cluster fruit and around two-thirds new oak. It has a surprisingly opulent bouquet of plush dark plum and blueberry aromas, slightly floral in style. The palate is lively and full of tension, a little earthy (although less so than previous vintages) and more linear than I would expect. This is a straitlaced yet sophisticated Clos Vougeot that should age with style. It will benefit from four to six years’ cellaring. Drinking range: 2021 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

Thibault Liger-Belair used his highest ever amount of stems (40%) on this cuvée in 2017. Using fruit from two parcels, planted in 1944 and 1992, this is a dense, compact, serious grand cru red with sappy whole-bunch spice, balancing acidity and 60% new wood. Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW - Decanter (Nov 2018)

Thibault Liger-Belair has two hectares in Les Saint Georges, the vineyard which gives Nuits the rest of its name, and 60 ares out of a total of 4 hectares of the Grand Cru Richebourg, as well as a good holding in the Clos Vougeot and some well-placed village wines. The vineyards are a good start, but it is Thibault himself who has catapulted this domaine straight into the very top echelons of Côte de Nuits domaines from his first vintage (2002). Thibault was trained as an oenologist but first worked as a wine buyer. He has come to wine making with a wide experience of wine buying, and has had the advantage of having discussed wine-making for many years, with the benefit of his oenological background, with some of the best winemakers of the world. Viticulture is biodynamic (since 2005), yields low but not ludicrously low, everything is pragmatic, so that he should be doing just what is necessary and no more. He uses 40-50% new wood maximum. The wines are bright, pure, focused, aromatic and elegant without lacking anything in the way of stuffing.

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Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

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