Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very stylish wine that delivers very well from the 2017 vintage. There’s a very brambly and juicy array of fine, spicy cherries with such appealing, sappy complexity already. So much energy in this wine. The palate brings a superb array of very bright and juicy red and darker cherries. Exceptional concentration. So vibrant and so generous. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Introduced by aromas of black raspberries, smoky wild berries, grilled game and rich soil tones mingling in a complex bouquet, the 2017 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, a full-bodied, deep and multidimensional wine with a concentrated core of fruit, velvety structuring tannins and a long, savory finish. While this possesses the charm that typifies this vintage at its best, it's one cuvée that will definitely reward bottle aging.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
Decanter
If you like aromatic Pinot Noir, you'll love this wonderfully scented grand cru from the Drouhin stable. The oak needs a little more time to integrate on the palate, but this is a spicy, well balanced, structured red that shows the concentration of its old vines. 35% whole bunches add an extra dimension here.
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Jasper Morris
Clear medium deep crimson. A little new oak on the nose, with fruit underneath. Builds in intensity. Higher on the slope in style, mostly red fruit, good acid balance, and notable length. Not the most intense but everything is in exactly the right place. There is a little touch of soemthing redolent of almonds as well.
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Wine Spectator
Sweet, ripe cherry, black currant and spearmint aromas and flavors are focused by vivid acidity, while the refined tannins add a base of support. Tight and sinewy, lingering with fruit and spice notes on the aftertaste. Best from 2023 through 2040.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Claiming the two famous Grand Crus, Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux, the identity of this village, Flagey-Echezeaux, rides predominantly on the glory of those two crus. All of the village or Premier Cru status vineyards in Flagey-Echezeaux market themselves under the name of their neighbor, Vosne-Romanée.
Echezeaux Pinot noir tends be light, bright and full of finesse, whereas those of Grands Echezeaux typically have more heft and complexity.