Louis-Michel Liger-Belair said that there were two keys to the harvest — yields and bottling while the wines are still fresh. This was the first full harvest at the estate since 2009. In 2016, yields had been 24 hl/h; in 2017 they were 34 hl/ha; in 2018, they were less than 2017.
Harvesting began on 9 September. Whole clusters were used for some wines, not for others. Malolactic fermentations were variable, one being completed before winter, others were after winter.
As usual, this biodynamic estate has very good wines across the board, but beginning with the Vosne-Brulées, the wines are especially outstanding.
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Grandes Vignes white
Liger-Belair regularly makes a delicious white from this vineyard, and 2017 is no exception. The wine is smooth and mineral with lightness and some nervosity. (91-93)
The reds:
2017 Vosne-Romanée
The village Vosne comes from 11 different sites, 80% at the bottom of the slope, 20% on the top. The wine has smoky red fruits, salinity, and a medium-weight body. (89-91)
2017 Vosne-Romanée La Colombière
The Vosne, Colombière is round, smooth, and saline with red fruits and good length. (90-92)
2017 Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château
Liger-Belair’s monopole Vosne, Clos du Château is light and long with mineral red fruit and a smooth texture. (90-93)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Lavières
The excellent Nuits, Lavières has layered dark fruits, spice, richness and some power, salinity, and seemingly moderate acidity. (90-93)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
The Vosne-Chaumes features focused strawberry aromas and flavors. The wine is medium-weight and shows good concentration. 20% whole clusters. (90-94)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
The Suchots features spicy floral aromas. In the mouth, the wine shows spiced strawberry fruit. The body is medium-light and there is less apparent structure here than in the other wines, perhaps providing for earlier drinking. 20% whole clusters. (90-94)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
The Vosne-Brulées is a big step up in quality. The nose is stony. The mouth is mineral and saline with good concentration, some spice, and darker fruit than the previous wines. The wine shows good energy. Some whole clusters here. (93-95)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras
Moving still further up the later, the sensational Nuits-Cras is intense, pure, concentrated, penetrating, and focused, with good enlivening acidity. (94-96)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Grandes Vignes
Giving this wine the assignment of following the Cras sets a high bar, but the wine manages to hold itself out extremely well. The nose has chalk and soy notes; the mouth shows soy and dark fruits with salinity, a juicy texture, and good concentration. (93-95)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts
This wine is an excellent representative of Petits Monts with spiciness, purity, great intensity, and outstanding penetration. (94-96)
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots
The Vosne-Reignots has red cherry and red currant fruits, minerality, purity, intensity, salinity, length, and precision. Easily grand cru quality from this vineyard just above La Romanée. No whole clusters in this wine in 2017. (94-97)
2017 Clos de Vougeot
The Clos de Vougeot is one of the best 2017s from that vineyard that I tasted. The wine has intense black raspberry fruit, very good acidity and freshness, good energy, and finesse. Made from purchased grapes. (94-97)
2017 Echézeaux
The Echézeaux has intense, focused dark fruits with salinity. The wine is long, pure, and elegant, but I’m not seeing the sensuality typical of Echézeaux. Should that sensuality come around, I will have underrated this wine. (93-95)
2017 La Romanée
Finally, the monopole La Romanée is perfumed in the nose. The mouth has red fruits that are pure and long. The wine has freshness, concentration, airiness, and balance. (95-97)