Wine Advisor
Thibault Liger Belair, Richebourg Grand Cru 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(like the Clos Vougeot and Saint-Georges, this wine was bottled at the beginning of September of '17): Bright, saturated ruby. Deep scents of wild mountain berries and licorice, with a touch of chocolatey reduction. Plush and fine-grained; not now showing the thrust and backbone this grand cru normally displays but then there's still a good bit of baby fat here. Flavors of black raspberry, licorice and smoky minerality come across as classically dry and laid-back. This extremely backward wine impresses today for its palate-coating horizontality. Liger-Belair vinified this grand cru with some whole clusters for the first time in 2015 and it has clearly brought more texture, but the wine appears to be passing through an awkward stage.
About the Producer
Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair is located in Nuits-Saint-Georges, a sub-appellation of the Cote de Nuits in Burgundy, France, and is a historic boutique estate within the appellation. Château Thibaud has 7.25 hectares of vineyards in five wine-producing villages, including Vaughan-Romanée, Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Gevrey Chambertin. Château Thibaud is a natural winery, and its organic farming methods have been recognised by ECOCERT. In order to cultivate the best grapes through biodynamic practices, Château Thibaud closely monitors the vine's growth cycle and creates the ideal conditions for the grapes to grow, taking into account the changes in weather, the seasons and planetary movements. Each year, Château Thibaud adapts its winemaking methods and techniques to the ripeness and quality of the grapes. However, the same applies to the selection of the best and healthiest grapes, which are hand-picked and selected by hand each year. To ensure that the original flavour of the wine is not compromised, the winery adheres to the principle of minimum intervention, reducing manual work at all stages, such as the use of less cap pressing or only gentle cap pressing, controlled pumping of unfermented must, etc. In addition, the wines are matured in oak barrels for 12 to 18 months, depending on the village where the grapes are produced and the ripeness of the year. The choice of barrels is made with great care at Château Tibor. Taking into account the texture and origin of the barrels, the barrels are allowed to dry for 3 years before being used to give the wines a more refined and supple tannin profile. To ensure that the flavour of the wine is not disturbed by the oak, Château Thibaud never uses barrels that are more than half new. However, at Château Thibaud, an old barrel has a maximum life expectancy of three years. The wines are not filtered or clarified during the vinification, maturation or bottling stages, in order to preserve their full structure and natural flavours. The first vintage of Château Tippel was released in 2002 and was very well received by consumers and critics alike for its fruity, smooth tannins, fine layers and unique flavour.
