Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Moulin-a-vent “les Vieilles Vignes”

Thibault Liger-Belair's family sold La Tâche to DRC in 1929 and spent seven decades as négociants — when he finally planted his own flag in 2001, he brought Burgundian discipline to Beaujolais, acquiring roughly 8 hectares in Moulin-à-Vent and treating Gamay with the same biodynamic rigour he applies to Richebourg. The result is a deliberate transgression: a Beaujolais cru vinified by a Côte de Nuits producer who has never accepted the category's reputation for early-drinking simplicity.

Moulin-à-Vent's decomposed pink granite soils — manganese-rich and free-draining — suppress Gamay's tendency toward soft, candied fruit, instead driving the variety toward structural tension and dark-toned concentration. The Vieilles Vignes designation draws from the oldest parcels on these slopes, where low yields intensify phenolic depth.

Vinification follows the domaine's signature protocol: hand-harvest with triple sorting, native yeast fermentation in open-top vessels, and minimal pigeage — infusion rather than extraction. Aging proceeds in oak barrels for 14–18 months, with village-level cuvées typically receiving one-third new oak, two-thirds older barrels, all lightly charred over a 5–7 minute toast. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The 2020 vintage's warmth was countered by Thibault's deliberate restraint in extraction, preserving freshness and energy in what could easily have become a heavy, over-ripe expression — Winehog notes fine promise in the resulting wines.