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.
95 Points John Gilman
The 2011 Liger-Belair Reignots is pure magic and a wine of grand cru dimension and beauty this year, as the more classic side of the growing season has really allowed this beautiful terroir to shine front and center in the way a more fruit-driven vintage such as 2009 could never accomplish. The brilliant nose soars from the glass in a haunting mélange of black raspberries, dark plums, a stunningly complex base of soil, Vosne spices, some very elegant, savory herb tones, duck and a stylish base of spicy new wood. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and utterly pure and refined, with laser-like focus, fine-grained tannins and superb length and grip on the tangy and stunning finish. What a beautiful wine!
94 Points Vinous
The 2011 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots is insanely beautiful. Impeccably graceful and layered on the palate, the 2011 impresses for its fabulous balance. At once rich and immediate yet also totally weightless, the Reignots captures the contrasts that make Burgundy so compelling. Bright saline notes support the vivid, striking finish. In 2011, the Reignots is simply dazzling.