2008 Echezeaux

The 2008 Echezeaux comes from a parcel in Rouges du Bas whose fruit Meo says always permits easy extraction of color and flavor, so that one has to be careful not to overdo it, and he usually performs more pre-fermentative, “cold” extraction here than in some other cuvees, especially in a vintage with high skin-to-juice ratio and demanding triage as was the case with 2008. The smoky; resinous; medicinally herbal aromatic overlay to confitured black fruits here has its counterpart on the palate in oily texture, palpable pungency, and sheer viscosity. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cocoa powder heighten the sense of finishing sweetness, but at the same time there is a satisfying retention of primary fruit juiciness as well as stony and saline mineral inflections, all of which enhance the wine’s complexity and invigoration. Another almost thickly-rich and forceful Pinot, this is likely to polarize tasters. I anticipate it will hold up will for 12-15 years if not longer. Jean-Nicolas Meo emphasized the contrast between the low pHs of his 2008s (typical, of course, for this vintage in general) and the high pHs of 2007, which ironically – since the latter were given a higher dosage of sulfur as a precaution against undesirable bacteriological activity – led, he reported, to 2007s that showed a harder side initially than many of the corresponding 2008s. Given the high acids of 2008, says Meo, he preferred to let the fruit hang longer – even despite some shriveling – so that few of the musts were chaptalized and most were 13% or higher in natural alcohol. Typical for this address, the wines display admirable, even unusually strong sweetness of fruit, but in 2008 accompanied by prominent tannins and notes of new wood. Meo compares his 2008s with 2001 and 1996, opining that his wines from those two vintages have for the most part – in contrast with many 1993s – evolved nicely and without exhibiting excessive stiffness or hardness. I caught some 2008s in bottle and others from tank just before bottling, and the several 2007s I tasted alongside showed well, although Meo – in contrast with most growers – thinks his 2008 fruit was superior even in sheer ripeness. (Negociant wines – some from parcels the Meos in fact farm – are noted as “Frere et Soeur.”) Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524. Also a Jean-Marie de Champs Selection (various importers), French fax 011 33 3 80 22 58 25