Wine Advisor
Comte Liger Belair, Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Aux Reignots 2005
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the Comte Liger-Belair vertical at the Château de Vosne. The 2005 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots sees service back to normal after the 2003 and 2004: bold red berry fruit infused with potpourri, wilted rose petals and orange blossom. The definition here is superior to previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, good depth and the most impressive nuance and complexity since Louis-Michel's debut. There is a captivating spicy note coming through on the finish that fans out gloriously. This is very fine. Tasted June 2015.
Reviewed by: David Schildknecht
From vines (some 80 years old) just above their monopole La Romanee, the Liger Belairs’ 2005 Vosne-Romanee Les Reignots displays vintage-typical notes of black raspberry and blackberry, exotic spices, mocha, vanilla, and a decidedly strong gamey character for a wine so young (but which Liger-Belair seeks to assure me is a passing reductive phase). Savory soy and salty, stony mineral notes add to the undeniably complex impression made by this bright, elegant, texturally spare Pinot, and there are fascinating lingering notes of floral perfume, new wood, forest floor and passing woodland creatures. When best to drink this and where it is headed, I cannot guess. But in the interest of full disclosure I should note that some of my more illustrious colleagues gave this very high marks, at least before bottling. Young Louis-Michel Liger-Belair – who considers himself a protege of the late Henri Jayer – has ambitious plans, and soon he will incorporate more of the family’s property (over which he only recently began assuming control – this was the last vintage in which wine was delivered to Bouchard on contract) and inaugurate a new negociant side of the business. Malos were very early, which Liger-Belair accepts as routine. He virtually eschews pigeage. “I try to avoid much extraction,” he says, “and in a year like 2005, it’s easy to extract too much.” But he has no compunction about a ten day cold soak nor about the lavish (100%) application of new barrels, which seemed to me a bit much for these wines. They had been in bottle around three weeks when I tasted, and despite the fact that they were never pumped, they struck me as being somewhat under the influence. Various Importers. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet; fax 011-333-80-24-29-70.
About the Producer
At just the tender age of eight, Louis-Michel Liger-Belair already declared his ambition to become a winemaker when he grew up. When his oenology studies finally began as he enrolled himself at the University of Dijon, graduating in 2001, he took over the family vineyards and established Domaine Comte Liger-Belair. It was no mean feat - their vineyard ownership stretches back to 1815, six generations ago, where the family domaine, then known as Château de Vosne-Romanée, was established by Louis Liger-Belair. With his adopted son, Louis-Charles, they acquired 40 hectares of top vineyards around the village, including sole ownership of La Romanée and La Tâche Grand Cru. Napoleonic inheritance laws sadly led to the sale of the domaine in 1933. Not wanting the family treasures to dissipate entirely, Louis-Michel's grandfather and his brother bought back La Romanée and several other vineyards from the auction. Needless to say, this is the prized vineyard of Liger-Belair. Not only is it the smallest Grand Cru and appellation in France (0.8 hectares), it is also just one of few Grand Cru monopoles in Burgundy. It lies directly above Romanée-Conti and also adjacent to Richebourg, at an altitude of 275-300 metres. It bears a similar soil profile to Romanée-Conti, although with less clay. Like many of the best winemakers in Burgundy, Louis-Michel practices biodynamic cultivation in all his vineyards, converting fully in 2008. He is passionate and hands-on, ploughing the vines himself with his horse Fanny. And in the growing trend of the younger generation of winemakers in Burgundy today, his style gravitates towards lighter and more approachable wines in their youth - less tannins and more aromatic fruit profile are the hallmarks of his wines. Avoiding over-extraction is the key, as he shortens the maceration period, and prolongs cold soaking to a week. As testament to the quality, Jancis Robinson MW notes that Aubert de Villaine "of the hallowed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has nothing but praise for his young neighbour".
