2005 Liger-Belair - Nuits St. Georges - 1 Bouteille (0,75 l)

Les Saint-Georges is one of the most highly-regarded of Nuits-Saint-Georges's 41 Premier Cru vineyards and, in the absence of any Grand Crus in the commune, makes some of the most sought-after wines in the area. The 7.5 hectare (18 acre) vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir, which is expressed here as a complex, rich red wine.

The Saint-Georges site is located about halfway between Premeaux-Prissey village and Nuits-Saint-Georges itself, right on the commune boundary between the two settlements and roughly 1km (0.6 miles) southeast of Nuits-Saint-Georges town. It has been famous for many centuries as a source of excellent wines and is considered by many to be of Grand Cru quality.

There are those within the Nuits-Saint-Georges wine community who are putting forward a case for the vineyard's promotion to Grand Cru status.

Other, well-respected, neighbouring vineyards include Les Cailles to the north, and Les Vaucrains, higher up the Côte d'Or slope, to the northwest. Les Didiers lies on the other side of the commune boundary, immediately south.

Les Saint-Georges's soils are made up of several different kinds of limestone, giving a complex and varied terroir, which is often given as the reason for the site's suitability for winegrowing. The deep, stony topsoil contains influences from Comblanchien, Premeaux and oolite limestones, with enough clay throughout to provide hydration as well as good drainage.

The slope here is fairly gentle and angled toward the south-east, both of which make for an excellent environment to grow Pinot Noir grapes. The cool continental climate is tempered by warm sunshine for most of the day due to his aspect, and Les Saint-Georges' position low on the slope means that cold temperatures are not exacerbated by elevation.

In the 1890s, the vineyard's name was added to that of the commune (just "Nuits" at that time) to create the full Nuits-Saint-Georges form we know today. Numerous winegrowing communes along the Côte d'Or took similar steps in the late 19th Century, including Puligny-Montrachet, Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin.