2018 Thibault Liger-Belair, Corton, Les Renardes

Thibault Liger-Belair, Corton, Les Renardes, Grand Cru, Pinot Noir, 2018, 13.5% abv.

Wasn't too satisfied with the Arnoux tasting; too young. I expected too much from the VR. So here I am/was, sipping on some TLB. Later had it with fried chicken and ramen. Not a match. Tech sheet says vines were planted in 1956 and that Thibault has 0.3 hectares mid slope.

Nose: light and sweet, hints of red and black fruits but mostly red fruit preserves, hint of earth, there's also a light copper aroma that I usually get with matured fruit jams, ends up being stale earthy berries. Somewhat delicate and not the strongest point of this bottling.

Palate: medium to full body (i.e. critics and wine pros call it full, I call it medium), entry is light orchard fruit juice, hint of biscuits and crackers, mid palate is initially a bit rough but clears up after an hour, shows more red and black fruit, hint of licorice smoke, some biscuits which lead to an upcoming bread attack, all of this is accompanied by dessert-related flavors with a mix consisting of subtle vanilla, really diluted milk chocolate, and diluted butterscotch, velvey, floral elements, tasting some weight, tannins are seemless here but show up on the back palate. Also seeing some bitterness with pinches of iron, chocolate on the back, tannins are getting chalky, pie crust and tart raspberries which end up in the front seat hours later. Bit of everything, complex.

Finish: medium, mature red fruit, attenuating raspberry tartness, old mature strawberries, some blackberries mixed in, hint of purple plums, bitterness from fruit stems, hint of earth, not-so-good sugarless apple pie. After a few hours, it's like the aftertaste of drinking dry raspberry seltzer.

Unfortunate the bouquet was weak, allowing the flavor profile to carry it through. Moderate complexity with many subtle elements, making it all over the place. More tart than acidic, with non-primary components directing the show, but ends up being raspberry seltzer after a few hours. Might be approaching a peak. Will be conservative.

Grade: B-