2017 Comte Liger-Belair Nuits-St.-Georges Aux Lavieres

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair is a 23-acre estate in Vosne-Romanee. It was created in 2000 by Louis-Michel Liger-Belair from vineyards that have been in the Liger-Belair family, in one way or another, since the early 19th century. The original Louis Liger-Belair was a general in Napoleon’s army who purchased the chateau in 1815 and in the early 20th century wines were made under the name of Comte Liger-Belair. However in the middle of the 20th century parts of the estate were lost or sold for various reasons. Today Louis-Michel has re-established the Comte Liger-Belair label and he has vineyards in 12 appellations. There are Grand Cru parcels in La Romanee and Echezeaux, and Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Clive Coates has written that “from the start, Louis-Michel has shown himself to be a sensible and astute winemaker: a man of real talent. These are elegant, finely tuned and very pure wines.”

Côte de Nuits is the northern part of the Côte d’Or and it includes the most famous vineyards and wine communes in the world. There are more Grand Cru appellations in the Côte de Nuits than anywhere else in Burgundy. Of the fourteen communes, or villages in the Côte de Nuits, six produce Grand Cru wines. They are Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. Some of the vineyards within the Côte de Nuits are tiny, which adds to their prestige. The fabled Grand Cru vineyard La Romanee is barely two square acres. Altogether there are twenty-four Grand Cru vineyards. The region takes its name from the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Côtes de Nuits produces mostly reds from Pinot Noir, and the wines have been in demand for centuries. During the 18th century King Louis XIV’s physician recommended that for his health the king only drink wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like most of Burgundy, the soils of the Côte de Nuit can vary greatly from one vineyard to another, though most are a base soil of limestone mixed with clay, gravel and sand.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.