NUITS SAINT GEORGES
2023 1er Cru Les Saint Georges Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair
As this vineyard edges ever closer to achieving its goal of being elevated to Grand Cru status - in vintages like 2023 you can really understand why this is a very fair goal for the growers here. With a 2m layer of clay and iron oxide its no surprise the colour and power of this is bold and broad shouldered, but Thibault explains there is also a fault line running through his plot (2 Ha!) that brings small limestone pebbles to the surface - which in some years bring a tangible fresh line of minerality to the juice. This is certainly true for 2023 where the powerful, dark fruited core has a fresh edge, a pep to it which is totally charming. The wine is big, and tightly furled for now. It will need time - but this seems more open for business at this early stage than usual, and it is easy to se that everything is in place for an absolute classic.L&S (Nov 2024)
75cl bottles (wood case of 6)
* 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.
Cask sample. Translucent dark-cherry colour. Subtle fragrance of dark-red fruit. Super-fine tannins bring elegance to this wine. Elegant, long, if pricey. (JH) Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 17.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Jan 2025)
(from a huge 2.10 ha parcel that produced 39 barrels in 2023). Even spicier aromas are composed by notes of red and dark currant, violet and soft earth nuances. The sleeker, more refined and more mineral-inflected but not more concentrated flavors possess a lovely sense of vibrancy and excellent detail on the lingering and well-balanced finale. This delicious effort does display a touch of youthful austerity and is a wine that should amply repay 10 to 12 years of cellaring. Drinking range: 2033 - Rating: 91-94 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Jan 2025)
There were three vats of the 2023 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er Cru, two destemmed and for the first time, 70% whole cluster on the third. It has a very airy and well-defined bouquet, but lacks a little complexity and depth in my opinion. The palate is medium-bodied with an elegant entry, as poised red berry fruit meets hints of caramel and white pepper (from the stems). The finish is quite harmonious, and hopefully the longer aging in barrel will add something to the aromatics. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2025)
Three tanks were made, two destemmed and the third with 70% stems, averaging out to 20% approximately, with tanks of differing sizes. A medium deep crimson ruby. Very appealing on the nose, neither too ripe nor too concentrated, and the red and black fruit on the palate is livened up by a surprising salinity – squid ink suggests Thibault, not a descriptor that really enthuses me, but I think this is going to be a first class Les St-Georges. Drinking range: 2030 - 2040 Rating: **** Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy (Nov 2024)
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair
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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