2019 Grands Échézeaux, Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Burgundy
Critics reviews
The colour is a little denser, a little richer than the Echezeaux. The bouquet is more backward, yet more complex. It is hard to put specific fruits to this. Increasing weight on the nose, all red berry, no black notes. The wealth of fruit attacks quickly and then stays, with fresh roses jostling among the lush but still quite precise fruit flavours. The structure maintains its role and helps to keep this powerful wine fresh. The volume now swells magically on the second half of the palate, with darker notes.
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (November 2021)
From a holding of 3.53 ha of 55+ year old vines; from yields of 28 hl/ha.
Once again, the nose is super-floral with ripe but airy and elegant aromas of dark berries, star anise, dried tangerine peel, warm earth and many spice elements. As is virtually always the case, a better size, weight and muscle is present in the broad-shouldered flavours that deliver stunningly good length on the equally compact and beautifully well-balanced finale. There is superb complexity, and overall, this is breathtakingly good, though, as always with this wine, be prepared to allow for ample bottle age as the supporting tannic spine is very firm. Magnificent.
Drink from 2039 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (January 2022)
884 cases produced
The 2019 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 19 and 20 of September at 28hL/ha. There is a tangible step up from the Echézeaux regarding concentration and complexity. The fruit is slightly darker with blackberry and raspberry, wild hedgerow and touches of bay leaf. Beautiful definition. The palate is medium-bodied with lace-like tannins and a beguiling sense of symmetry and poise. There is more dimension here than the Echézeaux (its architecture is akin to Richebourg). It fans out wonderfully towards the finish, velvety smooth with a judicious touch of spice lingering on the aftertaste. Bon vin.
Drink 2027 - 2055
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (February 2022)
The 2019 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru is absolutely stunning. It is also the first wine in this tasting that feels less marked by the vintage, where there is a good deal of freshness to play off all the natural richness of the vintage. There is plenty of power and volume, yet all the elements are well-balanced. Blood orange, menthol, coffee and layers of red/purplish-toned fruit all meld together seamlessly. In richer years, the Grands Echézeaux has often been one of my favourite wines in the range, as is the case once again with 2019.
Of course, all of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines are frightfully expensive today, but if there is one hidden gem in the range in 2019, it is without question the Grands Echézeaux. It’s the wine I would personally go after most, given its quality, personality, and relatively – and I do mean relatively – modest price next to the other wines here.
Drink 2029 - 2065
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (June 2022)
Yield of 28 hl/ha from 30-year-old vines picked 15 and 16 September. 884 cases produced.
It is much more communicative and nuanced than the Échezeaux on the nose. High-toned with a suggestion of ripe elderberries. It is beautifully textured with crisp, crunchy fruit distracting from an impressive charge of tannins. There is a real crunch at the end. But before then, there is Vosne energy and impressive length. Lovely balance and intrigue. Peacock’s tail of unfurling ripe treasures on the end. It is a real success and relatively accessible.
Drink 2026 - 2043
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (February 2022)
The 2019 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is more reserved than the Échézeaux, even if it's far from forbidding. Mingling aromas of blackberries and raspberries with notions of exotic spices, orange rind, smoked duck and forest floor, it's full-bodied, rich and concentrated, with broad structural shoulders supplied by ripe, powdery tannins. Layered and muscular, it's remarkably seamless and integrated at this early stage, concluding with a long, sapid finish.
Drink 2029 - 2065
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)
Bertrand de Villaine, co-manager of the domaine, has often evoked the savoury nature of the Grands Echézeaux produced from their 3.53-hectare plot down-slope from their Echézeaux. To my palate, it showed more of an influence from the whole clusters – freshness and a slightly rustic hint of menthol and earth, but he assures me that whole bunches are consistent across the board. Perhaps the wine is closing down slightly – it shows less of the lush dark fruit than it did out of barrel, although the length and complexity are a testament to the quality of the wine.
Drink 2025 - 2065
Charles Curtis, Decanter.com (March 2022)
About this WINE
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)
Domaine de la Romanée Conti is co-owned by the de Villaine and Leroy/Roch families, the former successors to Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet who bought the vineyard of La Romanée Conti in 1869, the latter since acquiring the shares of other descendants of Duvault-Blochet in 1942. The domaine is today run by Aubert de Villaine. Many people in Burgundy just refer to 'DRC' as "the Domaine".
The domaine has 25 hectares of vineyards, all Grand Crus. As well as the 1.8 hectare monopole La Romanée Conti, the Domaine purchased its other monopole, La Tâche, in 1933, along with significant holdings in the grand crus of Richebourg, Romanée-St-Vivant, Grands Échezeaux, Échezeaux and Le Montrachet at various points in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Domaine is the largest owners of each of the red wine grand crus.
The wines are made by Alexandre Bernier, in succession to Bernard Noblet. Whole clusters are used (no destemming) with a long vatting time avoiding excesses of heat. Yields are mind-numbingly low and the winemaking is traditional and perfectionist. These are not merely among the most sumptuous wines of Burgundy but certainly the most stylish. Ancestor Jacques-Marie Duvault-Blochet was an advocate of harvesting late in order to ensure optimum ripeness, a philosophy to which his descendants adhere today.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.
Grands Echézeaux
Located in the larger Côte de Nuits sub-region of Burgundy, Grands Échezeaux is renowned for producing exceptional Pinot Noir wines with a rich history and a reputation for elegance and complexity.
The vineyard benefits from a diverse terroir that includes variations in soil types, exposure to sunlight, and elevation, contributing to the complexity and character of the wines produced here. It is divided among several wine producers, each with a distinct style and approach to winemaking. Some of the most notable producers include Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC), Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret, Domaine Anne Gros, and Domaine de la Vougeraie.
The wines are known for their depth, complexity, and elegance. They often exhibit a dark ruby colour and aromas of red and black fruits, such as cherries, raspberries, and sometimes even darker notes, like blackberries. Floral notes, earthy undertones, and subtle spices are also commonly found in these wines. They typically offer a harmonious balance of fruit, acidity, and refined tannins on the palate, allowing them to age gracefully over time.
Like many premium Burgundy wines, Grands Échezeaux has the potential to age and develop beautifully over the years. Properly cellared bottles can evolve to reveal more complex and nuanced characteristics, making them highly sought-after.
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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
884 cases produced
The 2019 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 19 and 20 of September at 28hL/ha. There is a tangible step up from the Echézeaux regarding concentration and complexity. The fruit is slightly darker with blackberry and raspberry, wild hedgerow and touches of bay leaf. Beautiful definition. The palate is medium-bodied with lace-like tannins and a beguiling sense of symmetry and poise. There is more dimension here than the Echézeaux (its architecture is akin to Richebourg). It fans out wonderfully towards the finish, velvety smooth with a judicious touch of spice lingering on the aftertaste. Bon vin.
Drink 2027 - 2055
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (February 2022)
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