2012 Echezeaux
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Echézeaux Grand Cru from Etienne Grivot has an engaging, well defined bouquet with dusky black fruit, hints of white fennel and Provençal herbs - complex, the kind of nose you just want to keep on nosing! The palate is medium-bodied with crisp black cherry and blackcurrant fruit, a little hardness on the entry although that should soften with time. It is a compact Echézeaux, yet one that is well balanced and one that should repay long-term cellaring. Expect this to blossom in the future.
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Bright dark red. Aromas of musky raspberry, rose petal and coffee. Sappy, precise and deep, showing outstanding cut and lift to its flavors of crushed red raspberry and dried flowers. Like the Clos Vougeot this conveys an impression of great vivacity, but this one is in a more feminine, weightless style. The whiplash of a finish, which features noble tannins, leaves the palate vibrating with flavors of red licorice, wild herbs, mint and smoky minerality. "The tiny crop levels of the last few years have made a huge difference," noted Etienne Grivot at this point in our tasting.
Fragrant, elegant nose then rather light and unassuming on the palate. Lovely typical red fruit, but seems lacking in enough substance and complexity – a slow burner? (RH)
The 2012 Echézeaux is drop-dead gorgeous. Layers of dark red and black fruit flow across the palate, followed by sweet scents of tobacco, licorice, menthol and spices, all underpinned by subtle veins of minerality that give the wine its sense of energy. A beautifully layered, resonant wine, the 2012 should offer a long window of pure drinking pleasure. The interplay of fruit and structure is utterly captivating.
About the producer
A benchmark name in Vosne-Romanée, Domaine Jean Grivot is one of Burgundy’s most respected estates. They have an impressive array of vineyards, including plots in Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot, Echezeaux and Richebourg.