A new grand cru from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

The 2015 harvest offered surprising and interesting news from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair as it was revealed that a Clos de Vougeot was added to the Liger-Belair lineup in 2015.

Photo by Constance Liger-Belair

So what do we know about the Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Clos de Vougeot so far?

Facts about the Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Clos de Vougeot

I asked Louis-Michel about the new wine and he confirmed that he buys the grapes from another estate and that he will get 3 to 6 barrels a year. In 2015 there will be 3 barrels – i.e. around 900 bottles. It’s long term agreement, around 10 years, so we can expect a Clos de Vougeot from Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair for quite some years forward

It’s made from organic fruit from the middle of vineyard towards the Vosne-Romanee side of Clos de Vougeot. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair added that he can have an impact on the viticulture if needed, but it’s already good. 

I must say I find the thought of a Clos de Vougeot from Louis-Michel Liger-Belair both compelling and exciting …. and here is why ..

Clos de Vougeot in a historic perspective

Clos de Vougeot was rated Hors Ligne by Lavalle in 1855 and historically this large vineyard has been considered one of the very best in Burgundy.

It has been placed alongside vineyards like Romanee-Conti, La Romanee, La Tache and Richebourg and sometimes even above vineyards like Musigny and Romanee Saint-Vivant …

While I have tasted many very fine and even outstanding Clos de Vougeots most wines from this 50 ha Clos struggle to justify this historic acclaim – in my view at least.

In a sense Clos de Vougeot is quite similar to Echezeaux .. a large grand cru with fragmented ownership and only a few producers that seems to unfold the full potential.

Louis-Michel Liger-Belair is one of the producers who in recent years has taken Echezeaux to a new level … and most likely unveiled almost the full potential of this grand cru.

Given the historic status of Clos de Vougeot I would expect that the potential of Clos de Vougeot is even greater than that of the best parts of Echezeaux. 

If the potential is there Louis-Michel Liger-Belair seems to be the man to unfold it, and it will be very exciting to follow this journey.

Will he be able to elevate Clos de Vougeot to a level that rivals the best wines from Richebourg, Musigny or Chambertin – thus confirming the historic classification and acclaim of Clos de Vougeot?

The potential of Clos de Vougeot

While Clos de Vougeot is 50.96 ha it has always been uniformly classified, and even in the very detailed 1861 classification – all of Clos de Vougeot is rated 1^re Classe – see below.

Today the evaluation of the quality seems a bit more nuanced, as the middle and upper parts of Clos de Vougeot by some are regarded as better than the bottom part just above the road.

This could very well be true – today – where climate changes has benefitted the vineyards located higher on the slope .. but in 1855 the bottom part of Clos de Vougeot could perhaps have added some weight and power to the wine .. thus justifying the uniform classification of the 50 ha.

I must however say that I have tasted some very fine examples of Clos de Vougeot from the bottom part of the vineyard … Grivot springs to mind … so I really can’t say that I have a consistent picture of the quality of the different plots and parts of Clos de Vougeot. Or should I say … in reality it’s hard or even impossible to taste and identify precisely what part of the vineyard a given Clos de Vougeot is coming from.

So a location on the middle part of Clos de Vougeot seems like a fine place to start a Clos de Vougeot quest.

More importantly is the biodynamical viticulture .. in my view .. as this will provide a better expression of terroir in the wine – providing it with better definition and focus. This is really the key thing with Clos de Vougeot .. to bring the terroir forward in the wine and to ensure some vibrancy and focus. 

Another important point is healthy grapes and vines – thus the possibility to experiment with higher proportions of whole cluster grapes .. a factor that also could help unfold and elevate the rather compact and weighty Clos de Vougeot terroir … time will show if this is the case.

So expectations are high .. and I’m really looking forward to explore Clos de Vougeot …