Producer note: This is a relatively new 7.5 ha domaine that began in 2002 and has added some négociant wines so the total effective vineyard area is 9 ha; the négociant name is Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs. It is directed by the young Thibault Liger-Belair, who is a cousin of Louis-Michel Liger-Belair (see above). Please see Issue 29 or the database for more details about the domaine and the underlying philosophy. Liger-Belair commented that 2007 was a "technically challenging vintage. You had to be in your vineyards constantly and be constantly vigilant. The summer was not particularly favorable and there was rot pressure early. We have migrated all of our vineyards to biological farming and while the vines now defend themselves against various maladies better and better, you still have to exert some corrective measures until they are fully able to stave off disease pressures. When the good weather finally arrived in the second part of August, I was amazed to see how fast the maturities climbed. We decided to do a late season green harvest, which was really less of a green harvest in the sense of dropping fruit than it was to cleanse the bunches from any substandard fruit. We began picking on the 3rd of September but the maturities of our various vineyards were irregular so it was very much a start/stop affair over the almost 3 weeks that we picked. Yields were on the low side at only 22 hl/ha on average though sugars were very good at between 12.5 and 13.5%. Phenolic maturities were relatively strong and while we did do fewer punch downs, we did use some whole clusters. Overall, 2007 is a rich and generous vintage that should give a lot of pleasure young." Note that there is no Petits Monts in 2007 as it was declassified into the Aux Réas. (Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; Lea & Hanson, O.W. Loeb and Berry Bros & Rudd, all UK).
Tasting note: This offers a huge step up in both aromatic elegance and depth with a highly complex, pure and airy nose of primarily dark berry fruit, subtle spice notes and soil tones that can also be found on the long, powerful and focused broad-shouldered flavors that deliver a minerally and strikingly textured mouth feel on the gorgeously long finish. Terrific and recommended.
