Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair may be seen as a recent domaine as it was established only in the year 2000 by Louis-Michel Liger-Belair. However, in reality, Louis-Michel is just renewing two hundred years of family tradition dedicated to the vines and wines of Burgundy.
The Liger Belair family has a glorious history combining the church, the army and the wine trade. The first General Liger-Belair acquired the Chateau de Vosne-Romanée in 1815, as well as various vineyards, and when his nephew and adopted heir married a Marey heiress, the empire grew rapidly: at one point the Liger-Belairs owned La Tâche, La Romanée, La Grande Rue and significant holdings of Clos de Vougeot and Chambertin, along with an array of Vosne-Romanée premiers crus including vines in Malconsorts, Chaumes, Reignots, Suchots and Brûlées.
Unfortunately, complicated succession issues meant that the whole domaine was sold at auction in August 1933. Canon Just Liger-Belair and Comte Michel Liger-Belair between them managed to save La Romanée and small holdings of Aux Reignots and Les Chaumes. Comte Michel’s son Comte Henri devoted his career to the army, reaching the rank of general like his forebear, so the vines were looked after by sharecroppers and the wines sold through négociants.
Vicomte Louis-Michel Liger-Belair decided to recreate the family wine domaine in 2000, beginning with two plots of Vosne-Romanée and premier cru Les Chaumes. Two years later he took back control of Aux Reignots and La Romanée, although a commercial contract with Bouchard Père & Fils to distribute a proportion of the latter continued until 2006. In that year also a further 5.5 hectares of vineyards, on a farming contract from the Lamadon family, brought the domaine up to its present size.
94 Points Allen Meadows
Much airier and more elegant floral notes of rose petal and violet aromas plus sweet blue and black pinot fruit notes that can also be found on the mineral-suffused flavors that are precise, linear, focused and cool on the chiseled and beautifully long finish. I very much like this and while it’s less generous than the Chaumes, it’s classier and absolutely crystalline in its purity. A stunner.
93 Points Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The 2005 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots sees service back to normal after the 2003 and 2004: bold red berry fruit infused with potpourri, wilted rose petals and orange blossom. The definition here is superior to previous vintages. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, good depth and the most impressive nuance and complexity since Louis-Michel’s debut. There is a captivating spicy note coming through on the finish that fans out gloriously. This is very fine.