2010 Echezeaux

The 2010 Echézeaux is unbelievably beautiful. It comes across as somewhat cool and understated, but from time to time the wine's gorgeous fruit shows its pure class. A burst of fruit informs an utterly pure, crystalline finish marked by its nuance and detail. Grivot's Echézeaux is a model of understated power.

The 2010 Echezeaux is unbelievably beautiful. It comes across as somewhat cool and understated, but from time to time the wine’s gorgeous fruit shows its pure class. A burst of fruit informs an utterly pure, crystalline finish marked by its nuance and detail. Grivot’s Echezeaux is a model of understated power. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2040. I was blown away by the wines I tasted with Etienne Grivot on what turned out to be one of the most thrilling visits of my fall trip. Readers should do whatever they can to latch onto a few bottles of these exquisite Burgundies. Grivot talked about a roller coaster vintage which was saved by 3-4 days of good weather. The estate lost fruit from 3,000 plants and yields were down 40% across the board because of the poor weather during the flowering. The most dramatic proof of the loss in production was seeing some of rooms in the cellar with far fewer barrels than is the norm. The domaine’s 2009s are equally exciting. I will have notes on those wines in the April issue. Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa CA; tel. (707) 299-2600

Good bright, deep red. Highly nuanced aromas of raspberry, earth, tobacco, smoke and minerals. Silky, suave and sweet, with a distinctly palate-caressing texture to the red fruit and floral flavors. Sappy, dense and highly concentrated but light on its feet. Best today on the taut, long whiplash of a finish, where the perfumed fruit is complicated by a lightly saline quality.