2019 Echezeaux, Grand Cru, Nicole Lamarche, Burgundy
Critics reviews
Fine bright crimson purple. The bouquet awaits future development. There is a considerable weight of fruit starting at the front of the palate, an elegance in the fruit profile, but a feeling that there is more detail to be shown later. A leaner finish after the relatively velvety texture of the wine across the palate, as there is a touch more acidity here.
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (November 2020)
The aromatic profile is also ripe but cool with its much spicier assortment of red raspberry, dark cherry, anise and floral nuances, all trimmed in discreet wood. There is excellent volume and punch to the rich though quite compact finale that, unusually for this wine, exhibits a touch of rusticity on the beautifully long and slightly warm finale.
This is another wine in the Lamarche range that will need extended patience.
Drink from 2034 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2021)
The 2019 Echézeaux Grand Cru comes from Les Champs Traversins, Les Cruots and Clos Saint-Denis parcels. It has a beautiful, quite ethereal bouquet of precise strawberry and morello cherry scents laced with crushed stone – just pure Pinoté.
The palate is medium-bodied with satin-like tannins and fine acidity. This is not a deep or powerful Echézeaux, though it fans out confidently on a black-pepper-tinged finish of modest length. This will drink well over the next 12–15 years.
Drink 2022 - 2035
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (October 2020)
Those who overlook Lafon’s reds do so at their own peril. The Volnay Santenots du Millieu is a prime example. The domaine owns 4ha in this climat, considered among the greatest in Volnay. Only the old vines are used, some of which are more than eighty years of age.
The gentle winemaking here gives the wine a lovely, perfumed ripe cherry character, floral notes and a distinct minerality, while the texture shows elegant, fine-grained tannins, surprising freshness and a marvellous finesse.
Drink 2024 - 2049
Charles Curtis MW, Decanter.com (October 2020)
About this WINE
Domaine Nicole Lamarche
The division of vineyards with Nicole's cousin Natalie is now complete, and Nicole now has under seven hectares, down from 11 hectares. The Malconsorts and Grands Echezeaux have gone but the monopole of La Grande Rue remains. Nicole Lamarche took over from her father, François, in 2006; from ’19, the domaine now carries her name.
Nicole’s style is one of a light touch; the wines aren’t deeply coloured and are sensually soft yet show wonderful intensity.
In the vineyard
Under her aegis, the vineyards have been converted to organic and biodynamic production, although certification isn’t sought. The vines are now trained higher, and leaf cover is retained. In the cellar, the barrel regime has been changed, both in the lower proportion of new oak used each year, and in the coopers that supply the barrels
In the winery
When asked for details of the winemaking process, Nicole remains steadfastly enigmatic: there’s no formula and every cuvée receives a customised élevage. However, there’s always a proportion of whole bunch on the top wines, usually around 30%.
Échezeaux
Located in the commune of Flagey-Échezeaux, just south of the village of Vosne-Romanée in the Côte de Nuits, Échezeaux is a grand cru vineyard, producing some of the finest red wines in the world.
The terroir is varied, with different climats having diverse soil compositions and microclimates. The soils comprise limestone, clay, and gravel, contributing to the wines’ complexity and character. The variations in terroir result in wines with distinct nuances and expressions.
The wines are exclusively made from Pinot Noir grapes and are known for their depth, richness, and complexity, often exhibiting aromas of red and dark fruits, spices, earth, and floral notes. These can age gracefully for many years, developing more intricate flavors and textures with time.
Many esteemed and well-known wine producers have vineyard holdings in Échezeaux, contributing to the region’s reputation. Some of the most prestigious producers craft exceptional wines from this grand cru vineyard. Due to its Grand Cru status, however, the wines can be relatively rare with the combination of high demand and limited availability, making them highly sought-after amongst collectors.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
Fine bright crimson purple. The bouquet awaits future development. There is a considerable weight of fruit starting at the front of the palate, an elegance in the fruit profile, but a feeling that there is more detail to be shown later. A leaner finish after the relatively velvety texture of the wine across the palate, as there is a touch more acidity here.
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (November 2020)
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