Thibault Liger-Belair : La Roche 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for La Roche 2023 from Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair

Tasting

Colour
The colour is dark and intense, with garnet highlights that stand apart from the usual image of a paler Beaujolais, revealing fine phenolic ripeness.

Nose
The nose opens on very ripe red fruits, led by cherry and raspberry, lifted by floral and slightly spicy nuances, probably linked to the proportion of whole bunches used during vinification.

Palate
The palate is fleshy and deep, carried by tight yet fine tannins. A juicy tension and a saline dimension enliven the palate through to a long finish, which evokes a great red Burgundy more than a classic Beaujolais.

Food and Wine Pairing

This wine pairs beautifully with cooked charcuterie, such as black pudding served with mashed potatoes, or with slow-cooked meat dishes like beef tongue broth. It also works very well with suckling pig and, more broadly, with characterful roasted or braised meats.

Serving and Cellaring

Moulin-à-Vent La Roche 2023 is ideally served at around 14°C, a temperature that reveals its structure without dulling its freshness. Its concentration and saline tension make it a wine built for ageing, which will evolve favourably in the cellar over the years.

A Gamay from Pink Granite, Between Saline Tension and Burgundian Structure

The Estate

Founded in 2001 by Thibault Liger-Belair in Nuits-Saint-Georges, the estate expanded into Beaujolais in 2008 with the creation of Domaine des Pierres Roses, in the Moulin-à-Vent appellation. Thibault Liger-Belair, who comes from a historic Burgundy family, now runs both estates using organic and biodynamic farming. His parcel-based approach, inspired by the grands crus of the Côte de Nuits, gives his Beaujolais Gamays a structure and depth that are rare in the region.

The Vineyard

La Roche is a lieu-dit located at the top of the historic hill of the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, on a north-facing slope that preserves freshness and acidity. The vines, among the oldest on the estate, are rooted in a shallow pink granite soil scattered with sand and quartz. This parcel, farmed organically and biodynamically, is considered by the winemaker to be his most accomplished terroir in the appellation.

Vinification and Ageing

The grapes for Moulin-à-Vent La Roche 2023 are hand-harvested and then rigorously sorted. Part of the harvest is kept as whole bunches, adding structure and aromatic complexity, while the rest is destemmed. Fermentation favours gentle extraction, with limited punching down and pumping over, followed by ageing in oak foudres that preserves the expression of fruit and terroir without marking the wine with overly pronounced oaky notes.

Grape Variety

100% Gamay.