Thibault Liger-Belair : Clos Vougeot Grand cru 2022

The 2022 Clos Vougeot from Thibault Liger-Belair is a muscular, powerful wine, dense with extract. The tannins are firm but not astringent, and the aromas range from ripe black plums to earth, smoke, and mineral notes. There is much more intensity here than in the wine produced last year. The grapes come from 0.75 hectares in Baudes Basses at mid-slope along the southern edge of the clos. Liger-Belair explained how he tames the tannic nature of the old-vine fruit with vigorous punching down and ageing in cask (60% new). The result proclaims the success of his strategy.

Still closed, the profound Clos de Vougeot deserves time to develop in the cellar: its very dense substance unfolds along a solid, earthy sap. It has a long future ahead of it.

An expressive, complex, saline nose with terracotta and floral notes that dance in the nostrils. On the palate, the wine shows exhilarating freshness, gliding smoothly across the palate like a sailboat floating on the ocean. The finish, delectable with its gourmand, chocolatey, sapid notes, feels both comforting and invigorating.