The Golden Dragon Collection is an eight-bottle assortment that Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair created for collectors in Asia, first released with the 2008 vintage. This is the 2009, from a warm and generous Burgundy year, in its original wooden case.
About This Bottling
Each Golden Dragon case is numbered and dressed with gold capsules in place of the domaine's usual blue. Cases from the early vintages centre on two bottles each of La Romanée, the tiny Grand Cru monopole just above Romanée-Conti, Échezeaux Grand Cru and Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Aux Reignots, rounded out with village Vosne-Romanée from La Colombière or Clos du Château. The 2009 summer was warm and sunny in the Côte de Nuits, and the reds of that year tend to be generous, with ripe fruit and soft tannin.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: La Romanée leans towards dark berries, violets and sandalwood; Aux Reignots often shows a flinty, smoky note; the Échezeaux is brighter and more floral.
- Palate: Ripe, generous 2009 fruit runs through the set, from the rounder village wines to the dense, mineral Grands Crus.
- Finish: Long across the case, with the Grands Crus showing the most persistence and spice.
Serving & Food
Open the village bottles first, as they should be drinking well now; the Premier and Grand Crus can wait into the 2030s. Serve at 16 to 17°C in Burgundy glasses, decanting the Grands Crus lightly. A menu of roast pigeon, braised beef cheek and hard cheeses lets you compare them side by side.
How to Enjoy
A horizontal tasting of one domaine in one vintage, or a complete case to keep intact in the cellar.
Product Details
Origin: France
Region: Burgundy, Côte de Nuits
Appellation: Mixed Vosne-Romanée and Échezeaux assortment
Producer: Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair
Collection: Golden Dragon Collection
Vintage: 2009
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Wine Type: Red
Volume: 750mL (8 bottles)
Packaging / Condition: 8-Pk OWC
About the Maison
Louis-Michel Liger-Belair is the seventh generation of a family that has lived in Vosne-Romanée since 1815. When he took charge in 2000 the domaine held only a few hectares, the remnants of a much larger estate sold at auction in 1933. He began with La Colombière, Clos du Château and Les Chaumes, then in 2002 brought La Romanée and Aux Reignots back to family bottling after decades in which négociants, latterly Bouchard Père et Fils, had made the Grand Cru.
The vineyards are ploughed, partly by horse, and farmed biodynamically. In the cellar he aims for gentle extraction and as little intervention as possible.