2009 Domaine Frédéric Magnien Echézeaux Grand Cru

The 2009 Echézeaux impresses for its silky texture and refined personality. There is plenty of elegance and nuance in the glass. Layers of fruit build beautifully towards the vibrant, poised finish. The new oak needs time to integrate.

The 2009 Echezeaux impresses for its silky texture and refined personality. There is plenty of elegance and nuance in the glass. Layers of fruit build beautifully towards the vibrant, poised finish. The new oak needs time to integrate, but this is a promising effort. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Frederic Magnien bottles two lines; the Domaine Michel Magnien range is made predominantly from estate-owned grapes, although a few wines include purchased fruit as well. Magnien also issues a negociant label, Maison Frederic Magnien, exclusively from purchased grapes. If that sounds confusing, welcome to Burgundy! In layman’s terms the Domaine bottlings carry a black label, the Maison wines carry a white label. The Maison Frederic Magnien wines are made in a large, more spacious cellar in the same facility as the Michel Magnien wines also reviewed in this issue. In 2009 cuvaison lasted 14-15 days, including a 3-4 day cold soak. The malos were later and slower here than at the Domaine, so the Maison wines received an additional racking prior to being bottled. In general the Maison wines tend to emphasize a more red expression of fruit, while the Domaine wines are more towards the blue/black end of the spectrum. All of the 2009s were bottled in February 2011. Importer: Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300

Good deep red. Precise aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, minerals, dried rose and tobacco, plus a whiff of peach. Densely packed on entry, with a restrained sweetness to the redcurrant and tobacco flavors. Today the wine's dusty, granular tannins cut off the wine's fruit on the back end. Not a particularly elegant style. Magnien noted that he did a short cuvaison for this wine, but it's still a rather unrefined style.