Moulin-à-Vent La Roche 2021 Thibault Liger-Belair | Beaujolais

Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair 's Moulin à Vent La Roche is much more than a simple cuvée parcel. Situated on a hillside at an altitude of over 350 meters, the La Roche parcel is characterized by poor, draining, sandy granitic soil, which forces the Gamay grape to plunge its roots deep into the soil to fully express itself. Known for his rigorous winemaking in Burgundy, Thibault Liger-Belair saw in Beaujolais a land of great wines, and has transposed his exacting standards to this southern project. At the Domaine des Pierres Roses, he applies his Burgundian know-how to sign cuvées of the highest quality, far from the region's hackneyed clichés. With the exception of the Vieilles Vignes cuvée, each locality is vinified separately, with a measured proportion of whole-bunches, precise ageing and a commitment to biodynamic viticulture. La Roche is without doubt the most mineral and vertical of the Moulin à Vent cuvées on the wine estate.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: There's something both ethereal and telluric about this wine. It begins with restraint, but the finish commands respect. The Gamay expresses itself with purity, both taut and racy, incredibly elegant. There's a delicious complexity that needs a few more years in the cellar.

On the nose, the wine reveals an intensity of ripe black fruit and flower petals. Iris mingles with blackcurrant before giving way to finely spiced notes. The whole is precise and elegant.

On the palate, the attack is juicy with ripe fruit, immediately balanced by straightforward, fine acidity. Silky tannins give the wine a slender structure without any heaviness. The finish is salivating, with a long mineral and spicy aftertaste.