2014 Charmes-Chambertin, Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Successeurs, Burgundy

Description

With fruit sourced from old vines, dating back to the 1940s, 40 percent undergoes whole-bunch fermentation, with the main stems removed and a deliberate raw toast on the barrels. The wine shows lovely red cherry and cream, lifted and charming. With good fresh fruit on the palate, this isn’t a blockbuster. A thread of acidity defines the finish.

Thibault has made a fine and elegant range of 2014s, with little sign of the reduction which has sometimes prevailed here in the past. He has employed a fair proportion of whole-bunch fermentation, sending a crack team of pickers into the vineyards ahead of the rest to select the healthiest bunches. Another interest at the moment lies in finding the perfect toasting for his barrels, often choosing a minimal approach. We shall also be making a separate offer of Thibault’s brilliant 2014s from his Moulin à Vent estate.

Colour Red

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2014

Maturity Ready - at best

Grape List Pinot Noir

Body Medium Bodied

Producer Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair

Critics reviews

Neal Martin MW 90+/100

The 2014 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru has a lively bouquet with crushed strawberry, morello, mango and orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied, conservative, tightly wound and structured. This just needs a little more tension and detail, especially on the finish that as I noted out of barrel, requires a little more presence and concentration. Perhaps this is still a little upset after being bottled months ago? Let's see how it develops over the next 2-4 years. Tasted November 2016.Neil Martin - 30/06/2017

Neal Martin MW, (Jun 2017)

About this wine

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

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