(Please see my over view of the 2018 vintage in the Côte d’ Or here.)
Louis-Michel Liger-Belair said that he began harvesting on 2 September. Alcohols range from 12.5º to 14º. A few wines use whole cluster fruit. Malolactic fermentations were very quick in 2018. All wines are in 100% new oak.
Overall yields for the past four vintages:
2016: 22 hl/ha
2017: 34 hl/ha
2018: 32 hl/ha
2019: 19 hl/ha
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Grandes Vignes blanc
The nose is fresh and mineral. The mouth is silky, smooth, with freshness, peach fruit, and moderate acidity. Interestingly, the vineyard produced more wine in 2019 than 2018. (91-93)
2018 Vosne-Romanée
Silky smooth texture, dark fruits, light on palate, elegant. From 11 different parcels around the village, 80% of the vines are on the plain, 20% high up; 80% have clay soils, 20% limestone. (90-92)
2018 Vosne-Romanée La Colombière
Spicy sandalwood nose. Mouth is smooth and silky. Medium-weight, good depth and substance, almost chewy texture, but nevertheless very elegant. Potentially exceptional for a village wine. (92-94)
2018 Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château
The second potentially exceptional village wine. Silky smooth texture, dark fruit, more tannin, structure, and depth than La Colombière. (92-95)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Lavières
Dark fruits, spicy, dense, smooth, juicy, finesse. Perhaps not as concentrated as the village Vosnes. (91-93)
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes
Floral, spicy nose. Smooth, light, and elegant in mouth with red and dark fruits. Some whole clusters here. From the upper part of Chaumes, below the La Tâche cross. (91-94)
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
Truffly nose typical of Suchots. Creamy in mouth, dense, smooth, dark fruits, relaxed. About 13.5º alcohol. (92-94)
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
Dark fruit, some minerality; freshness, clarity to fruit. 14º alcohol. Only one barrel, kept by the domaine and bottled in large formats. (92-95)
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts
Spicy dark fruits, medium-weight, pure with good depth and precision. Liger-Belair’s plot is about halfway up the vineyard and adjoins Aux Reignots. (93-95)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras
Dark fruits, structure, freshness. 14º alcohol, but no perception of high alcohol or overripeness. (92-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos des Grandes Vignes
Dark fruits, round, smooth creamy; a bit of minerality here. This wine is only from the upper part of the vineyard; The young vines (which) are in the lower part of the vineyard are declassified to Nuits-Saint-Georges and sold to restaurants. (When Liger-Belair replanted the lower half about 4-5 years ago, 0.1 ha was planted at a density of 24,000 vines/ha as an experiment -- normal density in Burgundy is 10,000 vines/ha.) (92-94)
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots
Freshness, spicy red and dark fruits, good concentration, silky texture. (93-96)
2018 Clos de Vougeot
Typical spicy black raspberry fruit, freshness, intensity, balance. More structure than initially apparent. A top level Clos de Vougeot. (94-96)
2018 Echézeaux
Spicy Echézeaux stink nose. Smooth in mouth, deep, pure, creamy, concentrated, spicy dark fruits. Superb. (95-97)
2018 La Romanée
Spicy nose. In mouth, red fruits, spicy, dense, fresh, good concentration. A great success. (96-99)