Domaine Jean Grivot

Domaine Jean Grivot - Etienne Grivot and his wife Marielle (Patrick Bize's sister) took over from his father in 1990, making him the 5th generation of Grivots to make wine in Vosne-Romanée.In the 1930s it was one of the first domaines to bottle and sell the wines themselves.

There is an average age of 45-to 50-year-old vines across this 15ha domaine which covers 22 appellations (18 red) with holdings in Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Clos de Vougeot, Echézeaux and Richebourg. Etienne produces a range of stunning wines which possess real depth and class. In answer to a question over the secret of his success, he confides "there's no recipe, it's very personal and as a result it's very frustrating as one's never content".

Recently big strides have been made on the viticultural front. Etienne has bought a chenillard caterpillar tractor to work some of the more inaccessible vines, and has hired a horse, Pirate, to plough his Richebourg, Echezeaux, Beaumonts, Brulees, Suchots, Boudots and some village Vosne vineyards. He is not a fan of training the vines too high, or of leaf plucking on the south side, as he prefers a long slow ripening period.
 
The grapes are 100% destalked, though with some experiments where stalks are retained, and the fermentation allowed to start naturally, with a little punching down before this starts. Thereafter there is no more pigeage – “I don’t like to mix the physical (punching down) with the spiritual (fermentation)”, in Etienne’s words. Thereafter there is one pumping over per day before the wines go to barrel once fermentation has finished. Four tonneliers are used so as to avoid the signature of any one. Etienne prefers the wood from the Allier, Troncais and Bertranges forests, and now buys some of his own wood.

These are very personal and undeniably fine wines, with dramatically aromatic notes of red fruits, becoming denser up the range.

The Vineyards:  Richebourg 0.32 ha, Clos de Vougeot 1.86 ha, Echezeaux  0.85 ha, Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Beaumonts 0.78 ha, Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Brûlées 0.15 ha, Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Chaumes 0.15 ha,
Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Suchots 0.20 ha, Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Reignots  0.07 ha, Vosne Romanée 1er cru Les Rouges   0.34 ha, Nuits St Georges 1er cru Les Boudots 0.84 ha, Nuits St Georges 1er cru Les Pruliers  0.76 ha, Nuits St Georges 1er cru Les Roncières 0.50 ha, Nuits St Georges Lavières  0.62 ha, Nuits St Georges Les Charmois 0.52 ha, Vosne Romanée,   Vosne Romanée Les Bossières  Chambolle Musigny Combe ’Orveaux 0.62 ha