2005 Richebourg Grand Cru Thibault Liger-Belair 0,75 l

CS Balance but not obvious power on the nose – subtlety rather. Refreshment and a hint of alpine flowers. A merest hint of rhubarb. Sweet and fine and I honestly think the St Georges is a much better buy but there is certainly nothing wrong with this. (JR)

As darkly rich and deep as are several of the wines in this year’s collection, it is perhaps not surprising that the Thibault Liger-Belair 2005 Richebourg – from 70 year-old vines that he speculates are the oldest in the appellation (though we’ve heard this before, at Lucien Le Moine) – would be in every sense dark and deep. Palate-staining bitter blackberry and cassis concentrates, roasted, singed meat, and pan juices, intense smokiness, and peaty earthiness mount a veritable siege of the palate. An oaky whiff of coconut and caramel is extraneous, but in this context hardly annoying. This is among the most powerful Pinots of the vintage, not at all charming, but signaling grand aspirations and potential if given at least a decade in the cellar. (The 2004 was scarcely less concentrated or darkly-hued, but displayed a bit more raw tannin and heat.) 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

(vinified with 50% whole clusters) Good deep red-ruby. Wild dark berries and a note of leather on the nose. Fat, silky, broad and powerful, showing considerably more inner-mouth energy than the Saint-Georges. This spreads out impressively on the back half, finishing with strong tannins and considerable thrust. Liger-Belair says that, at age 72, these are the oldest vines in Richebourg.