Flagey Echezeaux Wines

wines

They are fortunate to have more than a hectare in all, spread between Poulaillères, Treux and En Orveaux. Huge density of purple colour. Very smooth and silky on the nose. Sensual. There is a nice little bit of tension behind with a welcome touch of natural acidity. Tasted: November 2019.Jasper Morris | 95-97 JMThe 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a fragrant, perfumed bouquet with violet and iris petals infusing shimmering black cherry and wild strawberry fruit; touches of orange pith emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and very harmonious, showing a velvety texture that is very sleek and tempting. A lovely Echezeaux.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

Tentative hints of red currant and red cherry escape from this wine’s shy nose. The palate adds hints of flinty reduction as well as subtle creaminess that cushions the firm stucture. Wonderful freshness highlights fine-boned tannins that are firm and filigreed in equal measure. A concentrated core radiates red-berry tartness and aroma heightened by the freshness of this svelte but well-cut wine.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE(Domaine du Clos Frantin (Nuits St. Georges) - Domaines Albert Bichot Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) A notably ripe and very spicy nose combines notes of cassis, blue berry, violet and sandalwood. The seductive and velvet-textured middle weight flavors possess both good volume and plenty of sappy dry extract that mostly buffers the firm tannic spine shaping the balanced if youthfully austere finish that exhibits outstanding length. This too is very good and will need extended patience. (Drink starting 2033)Burghound | 93 BHA densely packed, fruity style, this boasts macerated cherry, raspberry, vanilla and toast flavors. It feels balanced for the most part, with chalky tannins lining the finish that should integrate in a year or two. Vibrant and long. Best from 2023 through 2038. 300 cases made, 97 cases imported. Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2018 Echézeaux Grand Cru had been racked the day prior to my visit. That said, the bouquet is very well defined, offering black cherries, raspberry, rosemary and pressed rose petal aromas that blossom with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins, good depth and precision, revealing bitter cherry and a touch of balsamic toward the finish. Very good potential.Vinous Media | 93-95 VM(Echézeaux- Domaine Dujac) The 2018 Echézeaux from Domaine Dujac is a brilliant wine in the making, and this is one of the best young examples of this cru that I can recall tasting at the estate. The celestial bouquet soars from the glass in a sappy blend of raspberries, cherries, red plums, duck, a very complex base of soil tones, Vosne spices, cocoa powder and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and tangy, with all of the complexity that the nose promises, a great core, suave, fine-grained tannins and outstanding backend mineral drive on the focused and utterly complete finish. Great, great Echézeaux! (Drink between 2032-2075).John Gilman | 95 JGThe 2018 Echezeaux Grand Cru is a promising cuvée in the making, mingling aromas of dark berry fruit, cassis and cherries with notions of burning embers, dried flowers and dark chocolate. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied, broad and ripely tannic, with a layered and nicely concentrated core, lively acids, and a well-defined finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92-94+ RP(Domaine Dujac Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) The wood treatment is more evident though it certainly doesn’t intrude on the exceptionally spicy and very floral aromas that reflect notes of cassis, plum, exotic tea and a touch of violet. The medium-bodied flavors possess a seductive and succulent mid-palate that contrasts markedly with a powerful but grippy and slightly drying finish. Again, the open question is whether this will eventually harmonize? (Drink starting 2028).Burghound | 88-91 BH

The 2019 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very well-defined bouquet with marine-tinged black fruit, wet limestone and light violet aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins that frame the pure, silky smooth dark cherry fruit that expands wonderfully on the savory-tinged finish. Just a supremely well-made Echézeaux.Vinous Media | 94 VM(Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) An overtly floral, especially rose petal, and relatively high-toned nose offers up ultra-fresh aromas of both red and dark currant and plum that are laced with plenty of spice influences. The medium-bodied flavors possess a polished mouthfeel, indeed it’s almost velvety, with good if not special density while exhibiting a touch of bitter cherry pit on the saline-inflected and youthfully austere finish. This is a refined Ech with excellent development potential. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 93 BH

For the first time, Maxime Chuerlin decided to use stems in his crown jewel, the 2019 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, settling on 25% whole bunch for this year. This was an astute decision, because it lends freshness and more complexity to the bouquet of blackberry, undergrowth, tobacco and crushed limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, hints of peppermint behind the black fruit and touches of white pepper and sage toward a finish that fans out wonderfully. A slam-dunk for Maxime Churlin. Five barrels produced, matured entirely in new oak.Vinous Media | 96-98 VM(Domaine Georges Noëllat Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) An even riper nose features notes of mocha, roasted plum, baked cherry and a lovely range of spice elements. There is a bit more vibrancy to the broad-shouldered flavors that culminate in a dusty, palate coating and slightly firmer finale. This could use better depth, but the underlying material seems sufficiently strong to provide it in time. (Drink starting 2031)Burghound | 91-93 BH

For the first time, Maxime Chuerlin decided to use stems in his crown jewel, the 2019 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, settling on 25% whole bunch for this year. This was an astute decision, because it lends freshness and more complexity to the bouquet of blackberry, undergrowth, tobacco and crushed limestone aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, hints of peppermint behind the black fruit and touches of white pepper and sage toward a finish that fans out wonderfully. A slam-dunk for Maxime Churlin. Five barrels produced, matured entirely in new oak.Vinous Media | 96-98 VM(Domaine Georges Noëllat Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru Red) In contrast to the expressiveness of the Echézeaux, this is aromatically more restrained and somber and only grudgingly reveals its more floral-suffused aromas of various dark berries, spice and lavender and violet scents. The sleek and impressively intense bigger-bodied flavors are also not especially dense with very good detail, all wrapped in a dusty, somewhat angular and short finish. Note that my score assumes that this become much more harmonious with a few years in bottle as the underlying material appears to be quite good. (Drink starting 2034)Burghound | 91-93 BH

Tightly wound and dense, this red isn’t revealing much today other than plenty of black cherry, blackberry and dark plum flavors packed into an elegant frame. Features violet, vanilla and toasty oak elements, which add depth as this cruises to a lingering, bitter chocolate finish. Shows fine freshness and harmony. Best from 2026 through 2045. 336 cases made, 35 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSProduced from a blend of Echézeaux du Dessus (80%) and Les Quartier de Nuits (20%), the grapes are fermented after a cold soak with 30% whole clusters. The fruit is punched down and racked into cask (80% new) for 18 months of ageing. The result is forceful and muscular; there is a pleasantly ripe plum and fig fruit with hints of earth, leather and smoke. The wine is tannic and firm - it seems a bit disjointed at present but should come together for the long term. I suggest waiting five years, and then drinking it over the next twenty.Decanter | 94 DECA very ripe nose features notes of chocolate, menthol, cassis and a variety of spice elements, all of which is trimmed in generous but not invasive wood. The suave, round and velvety flavors are also rich to the point of opulence before tightening up quickly into a very firmly structured and tightly wound finish that displays very fine length. This compact and quite serious effort is going to require extended patience.Burghound | 91-94

The Grivot family owns 0.84ha of Echézeaux, mainly in Les Cruots. The grapes are entirely destemmed and given a cold soak before gentle fermentation on native yeasts. The wine is pressed and aged in cask (40% new). The result shows impressive elegance yet is in no way lacking fruit, with a lovely, expressive black cherry and pomegranate quality. The texture is delicate, yet there is impressive concentration, and the red fruit and floral notes linger on the finish. Drinking Window: 2027 - 2050Decanter | 96 DECTouches of bitter chocolate and kirsch are present on the spicy aromas of plum, violet and soft wood. The finer if not denser flavors possess a velvety texture while also coating the palate with dry extract on the dusty and chalky finish that is likewise youthfully austere. I very much like the depth and persistence and this beauty should also age gracefully for as long as most anyone would like.Burghound | 93-96 BHThe 2020 Echézeaux Grand Cru offers mulberry, sous-bois and very subtle star anis aromas on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, quite taut and fresh, linear at the moment with touches of blood orange and Clementine towards the finish. Give this several years in bottle.Vinous Media | 92-94 VM

A lovely mid purple. Very perfumed and with density, I suspect with detail to follow as well. Succulent, and with amazing depth plus magical length. One or two darker fruit notes, stopping short of chocolate. But this is a profound and sensual Echezeaux from a domaine noted for its lighter style. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted: November 2023.Jasper Morris | 96-98 JMThe 2022 Echézeaux Les Loachausses Grand Cru (not the easiest lieu-dit to pronounce but is actually a monopole of the Gros family) is the most taciturn on the nose amongst Anne Gros’ cuvées. There is a touch of crushed stone that develops in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a lot of sucrosity on the entry. It has fine depth and is quite linear, and maybe it needs to muster a little more complexity and terroir expression on the finish. I’m sure it will.Vinous Media | 91-93 VMModerate wood influence can be found on the exuberantly spicy and smoky nose of mostly dark currant and violet scents. There is good energy to the delicious if not especially dense middleweight flavors that conclude in a firm finale that exudes focused power as well as a touch of warmth.Burghound | 91-93 BH