Liger-Belair’s 2007 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Cras projects ripe though tart blackberry and mulberry; smoky and sweetly-pungent Latakia tobacco; and underlying meat juices, chalk, and stone. Abundant and somewhat gum-numbing (though not coarse) tannins are partly compensated for by a sheer sense of energy and berry brightness. There seems to be a sheer extract here that will help the wine remain knitted, and while I would monitor it carefully if I had some in my cellar, I suspect this is a 2007 that would benefit from some bottle aging, and probably perform well for 6-8 years. Louis-Michel Liger-Belair’s 2008 collection strikes me as hands-down his best so far, and he is inclined to agree. But the quality of his 2007s also bespeaks increasing mastery of technique; focusing of his aesthetic (and a more focused resultant style); and certainly too, greater familiarity with his vineyards, a substantial portion of which (as explained in issue 186) was only acquired in 2006. (Liger-Belair would also put emphasis on the accumulated effect of a biodynamic regimen, including deep horse-plowing for the estate’s top acreage.) Malos were not inordinately late in this relatively warm cellar, and bottling of the 2008s took place between mid-January and late March, three weeks after which I tasted the wines. “The big deal,” opines Liger-Belair, “was – a bit of rot, of course, but – the major problem was rose, pink grapes. So my primary goal was to be at the beginning of the sorting table to pick out bunches” that harbored some of those berries, an imperfection that evidently could easily be missed. Liger-Belair continues to experiment with the inclusion of stems and whole clusters, although he limited this vendange entier approach in both the 2007 and 2008 vintages, lest any greenness intrude. Finished alcohols on the 2008s range from the low 12’s to low 13’s with only a minor amount of chaptalization performed on certain cuvees. A Becky Wasserman Selection (various importers), Le Serbet; fax 011-333-80-24-29-70