2016 Thibault Liger-Belair, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Les Saint-Georges

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

The 2016 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges includes 40% whole cluster fruit, eight barrels produced from 2.04 hectares, the lowest ever. I have to say that the quality of the terroir comes through on the nose: beautifully defined, mineral-driven, hints of sous-bois underneath the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, slightly chalky in style, long and tender with brilliant focus on the finish. Thibaut talked about a verticality of this cru, and I can see exactly what he means. Magnifique!

(40% vendange entier ; just 8 barrels produced in 2016, vs. 27 in 2017): Bright ruby. Wonderfully pure, utterly captivating aromas of cassis, black cherry, violet and spices. Compellingly rich and chewy, with its slightly high-toned dark fruit flavors enlivened by chalky minerality and savory earth tones. Atypically silky and opulent for both the vineyard and the vintage, but this generous wine's broad dusting of tannins, harmonious acidity and underlying minerality give it an impression of completeness. Finishes with lingering notes of dark chocolate and violet. Liger-Belair noted that there's calcite in a fault in this vineyard (from the scraping of the limestone over time) and that the topsoil has been getting whiter through natural movement. The result, he said, has been wines "with more verticality and lift, a bit less burly than previously."

Very intense and dramatic. Maybe a bit too much drama! Fruit buried at present under a load of spicy oak. (JR)