2012 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

The Lignier 2012s spent 20 months in barrel before being racked in May of 2014, in preparation for the bottling in June and July. Laurent Lignier believes 2012 is a great vintage, "very dense and from a very small crop, down 25% to 30% from normal. The season was less sunny than 2009 and thus the wines kept good vibrancy." The longer élevage, he added, gave the wines higher-than-average levels of volatility, in the range of 0.5 to 0.6 grams per liter, but it's not at all a fragile vintage. On the contrary, said Lignier: "It should be a great vintage for aging owing to the strength of material and the freshness." Potential alcohol levels were in the high 12.5% to 13.5% range and the Ligniers did almost no chaptalization. Incidentally, Lignier noted that the estate's 2010s "are good now, but the 2005s are showing nothing today."

This is a beautiful set of 2012s from Hubert Lignier. Malos were on the slow side, which is reflected in the tasting notes for the wines, none of which had been racked at the time of my tastings. The long-standing feud between Hubert Lignier and his former daughter-in-law Kellen Lignier appears to have been resolved. Family matters are always very delicate and I try not to pry too much. It appears that Domaine Huber Lignier leased the 9 hectares of vineyards that had belonged to Kellen Lignier for the 2013 harvest and that those vineyards will revert back to the Domaine's property beginning with the 2014 vintage. Kellen Lignier retains ownership of 2.3 hectares of vines. Hopefully both sides of the family will be able to put this bitter struggle behind them and each of them move on to bigger and better things.

The Ligniers harvested "small, very ripe grapes" between September 23 and 29, according to Laurent Lignier, with potential alcohols in the high 12% to 13% range (and 13.3% for the Clos de la Roche).The pre-fermentation cold soak lasted a full week as ambient temperatures were cool and the alcoholic fermentations started slowly.The Laurents did one pigeage and one remontage per day, then two punchdowns during the peak days of fermentation--"but gentle and manual."They do not believe in doing post-fermentation maceration.Laurent compares the young 2012s to the 2002s in their "good ripe acidity."He went on:"The 2012s are accurate to their terroir; they have some of the tension of the 2010s but lower acidity.The wines are balanced and concentrated--a great classic vintage--but drink the '11s first."The malos finished between January and October of 2013 but none of the wines had been racked as of my November visit.