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We were back in safer territory with an excellent 1978 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot. This had much deeper fruit and was very fragrant, showing off lots of purple musk. It had a nice body with a dry, cedary finish, and taut purple fruit with light citrus kisses. Earth and beef satay flavors combined with hay and straw to show both fresh yet browning, mature flavors. This was a complicated wine (93).

The 1979 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot was in a great spot and stole the spotlight from the usually stronger 1978. It had a sweet nose full of kirsch. I just loved its forward, sexy nose, which had just enough hints of autumn and broth to make the conversation deeper and even more interesting. Boysenberry flavors were super tasty, and this was officially another secretly good red from 1979. There was some ‘pudding gooding’ to its great cherry fruit, and I couldn’t help but drink this wine to the last drop, as well as seconds. There is probably no need to defer gratification for this wine much longer, unless out of magnum (95).

We went from one classic to another with the 1985 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot. This was classic in every sense of the word. Its fruit was pure and clean red with great musk and spice. Oil, blueberry and black cherry joined the nose and fit right in. The palate was delicious, showing off all the positive qualities of 1985. It was full-bodied and long with nice sweetness and earth, everything in balance. This was ready to drink and also ready to age some more (95+).

The 1986 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot was the last, non Vieilles Vignes wine that we would have on this evening. While I have had some thrilling 1986s, this wasn’t one of them. The nose was pleasant- brothy, citrusy and smoky, with nice vitamins and red fruit. The palate, however, showed the mean side of 1986. It was dry and hard, medium-bodied and lacking fruit. Its palate was all acid and rust. Every at-bat can’t be a home run (88).

Next up was our first Vieilles Vignes, and the first one that the estate ever produced, the 1987 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes. There was an immediate, noticeable difference in the volume and concentration here. 1987 is about as low on the totem pole that a red Burgundy vintage can be, but this wine didn’t care what vintage it was from. It did need time in the glass to really show its stuff. At first, green oak dominated, but olives and coffee replaced the wood, and it became more and more impressive, especially considering the vintage (93).

The next flight was all ‘V.V.’ beginning with the 1996 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes. The V.V. style really stood out again; its volume was huge, and its texture bigger than Burgundy life. Its fruit was thick, pungent and soupy, and while big, it was still tight and clean. Fuller than most ’96s, the acid seemed less than usual and the milk more. It kept gaining in the glass, although it still came across abit awkwardly in a pre-teen way (92+).

The 1997 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes was in a great spot, with lots of musk and vitamins, including extra C. It was zippy and citrusy, both not easy to achieve in 1997, along with great verve. This was one of the better 1997s that I can remember, better than most, in fact. It was rich, saucy and tasty, ‘great!’ as I wrote. It occurred to me then that this cuvee seemed to make the lesser years sing louder than normally, but the flip side of that coin was that the better vintages needed more time than usual. Either way you skin it, impressive sums it up (94).

The 1999 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes had a deep nose, with adolescent banana peel and date skin in its shy nose, particularly for 1999. Its finish was rich, decadent and strong in the mouth, but the fruit was shy city. While thick, it was shut down and might need another decade more before it starts to say hello (94+).

The final flight begun with a 2007 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes. ‘2007 delivers again, ‘ I wrote. I have been a big fan of this vintage as far as it being one for early drinking and enjoyment. Floozy isn’t the right word, but party girl is. Forward and sexy, the 2007 showed me skin and kept me in refill mode, although it did seem a little more confused after getting to know the 2008 and 2009 that followed (92).

This was an impressive evening of Clos Vougeot with its finest and most significant producer. The standard cuvee showed wonderfully in vintages like 1979 and ’85, and the Vieilles Vignes cuvee is not even ready to show yet in most vintages. Even 1987 felt on the way up, which is quite impressive! The V.V. is built for the long haul, and a very special and unique wine in Burgundy. Almost every V.V. felt like it needed time to develop, and that it would get better, hence all the pluses. I look forward to revisiting this cuvee many times in the future.

A 2009 Liger-Belair Vosne Romanee Colombiere was corked, too much so to pick up many aromas, but the palate wasn’t as badly affected. If you could block out the corked quality, the palate was tasty and foresty, with deep purple and rich fruit, and ‘great weight’ as one observed (93A).

We took a left turn and went to the other side of the tracks with a 2006 Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges Aux Cras. Its nose was much earthier, almost rubbery at first, clearly a different terroir. I always feel like I’m slumming it in a back alley of Burgundy when drinking Nuits St. Georges, no offense meant. I think we all know that slumming it can serve its purposes lol. Cedar and tannins jumped out of its nose and not much more, but its palate was more impressive than I expected, delivering a thick and long mouthful. Black fruits, vitamins and a ‘hint of licorice’ were all present in this big and beefy red. Hong Kong’s version of the Old Dirty Bastard was loving it. It was the terroir, of course (93).

The 2007 Liger-Belair Vosne Romanee Les Suchots seduced me as ’07s do. There was great perfume and spice here, with sweet and musky decadent fruit. The palate was soft, tender and delicate with great spice. There was so much finesse in all of Louis-Michel’s wines that they struck me as delicacies. This was sexy, silky and superb wine (94).

A pair of queens was next, starting with the 2006 Liger-Belair Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots. I was wondering why the Reignots would be served after vineyards such as Suchots and Brulees, but after this flight, there weren’t any lingering questions. The 2006’s nose was so pure, impressive with its cedar and breed. There was this kiss of that NSG rubber again, but its red fruit overcame in a so fresh and so clean clean way. The palate also had great spice and nice cedar with a long and expressive finish. Gil observed, ‘that popcorn Coche nose’ (94).

Louis-Michel’s Echezeaux is one of this historic vineyard’s newest stars, and it just keeps getting better and better with bottle age, even though there aren’t any that old in the first place. The 2007 Liger-Belair Echezeaux was tasty, big, rich, long and zippy for ’07, with lots of structure. There was black forest fruit with a touch of tropical Bazooka goodness. This was a big and brawny 2007, a typical but I wasn’t complaining. Its impressive structure and citrus twists were all good in this hood (94+).

The 2009 Liger-Belair Echezeaux was even better, as it should be. Its dense, sweet fruit was balanced by its structure and finish. Fruit and acidity were all in harmony, and the signature style of the Domaine was on full display, with added depth from the terroir. There was great style to this great red (96).

It is difficult for a young wine to get me up in what I call ‘rare air’ territory, ie 97+, but the 2009 Liger-Belair La Romanee did just that. ‘Every 2009 is great, ‘ someone commented, but the 2009 La Romanee was beyond great. Deep and powerful seemed inadequate to describe the depths of its nose, as did rich and decadent. This was ripe yet tense, with leather and smokehouse nuances. It was an ass-smacking great nose; that felt more adequate lol. The palate was like a dense forest of flesh, bramble and cedar, a veritable wonderland in which immersion seemed inviting and inevitable. The wine made time stand still; I felt paralyzed by its greatness, yet I was happy to be so. Speaking of so, ‘so rich, so concentrated, so incredible’ summed up my notes. ‘Hell yeah’ would be another way to put it (98).

There are only a handful of people who emerge in Burgundy every generation to become one of the true greats, and Louis-Michel is one of them. Any bottle of his, any time, count me in.