2005 Vosne Romanee Aux Reas
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Tasting notes
Bright ruby-red. Very ripe but vibrant aromas of crushed raspberry and bitter chocolate. Lush, thick and sweet but with excellent mineral lift to its sappy dark fruit flavors; dense but not at all heavy. This impressed initially with its volume but tightened up in the glass, showing a very firm tannic spine. I would not be surprised to see this merit an outstanding rating with five or six years in bottle.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
CS Heady nose, bit of fizz. Lots of sweetness – quite distinctive and different from the norm. Lots of good intention here… quite fine tannins tucked in for the long term. (JR)
From the odd “cut-out” in which the commune of Vosne-Romanee protrudes southward toward the town of Nuits-St.-Georges (while on hillsides to the west lie several of Nuits-St.-Georges’ most celebrated crus) Liger-Belair’s 2005 Vosne-Romanee Aux Reas smells of machine oil in a Cabernet Franc-like way, along with ripe cherry and medicinal herbal concentrates. Overtly meaty and stony on the palate – indeed acting more like Nuits-St.-Georges than Vosne – the wine finishes richly on salted meat and soy. This formidably-concentrated, firmly but finely tannic Pinot deserves at least 3-5 years in the cellar before revisiting. In this his fourth vintage, and (like his cousin at Comte Liger-Belair in Vosne-Romanee) young, ambitious in the pursuit of quality, well-traveled, and in the process of taking back family property from rental and negociant contracts, Thibault Liger-Belair is ensconced in deep, ancient, and bitterly-cold cellars in the center of Nuits-St.-Georges. He has begun pursuing a biodynamic regimen in his vineyards and has inaugurated a rigorously-controlled negociant arm (its wines labeled “Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs” and designated “S” in my listings). He says he approached 2005 with great caution lest the wines lose polish and finesse to over-extraction of tannins. Certainly the results have included some very powerful and formidably structured wines. Low sulfur and a significant inclusion of whole clusters (“depending on the circumstances and site,” he says, “- I have no system”) are among other prominent features of Liger-Belair’s approach in 2005. Also recommended: 2005 Aloxe-Corton La Toppe au Vert ($64.00; 86+?). Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980 8802
Good deep ruby-red. Very reduced aromas of musky black raspberry, minerals and flowers accented by menthol. Sweet in the mouth but quite firm, with a distinct rocky character. This is strong and suave for village wine, displaying grip and energy and finishing with fine tannins.