2011 Thibault Liger-Belair, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

For reports and full tasting notes, go toTim Atkin MW's website.

The 2011 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru from Thibault Liger-Belair has a straightforward, quite fresh and direct bouquet with orange blossom filtering through the blue and black fruit. There is a sense of composure that develops in the glass. The palate is energetic on the entry with a fine bead of acidity, quite confit-like towards the finish. The stem addition here is nicely integrated with a palpable spicy end that finishes things off nicely. Tasted at Flint Wines Burgundy 2011 tasting.

(true Charmes: a lot of millerandage here): Good bright, deep red. Explosive aromas and flavors of black raspberry, licorice, leather and game; this hits most of the main Gevrey food groups. Sweet, fine-grained and concentrated; dense with extract. Finishes very long and ripely tannic, with a noble rusticity. Liger-Belair began working these vines in 2008; he cut off the best 20% of his clusters with scissors, noting that he did more of a whole-berry fermentation than an actual vinification with stems. And the barrels he used for this cuvee were "barely toasted."