Score: |
93 WA. "Black tea; ethereal peony and hyacinth floral perfume; musk; peat; and fresh red raspberry scent the Drouhin 2006 Grands Echezeaux. Inclusion of stems here does not seem to have resulted in awkward tannins or any vegetal notes. Tender in texture, with its tannins fine-grained and sublimated, this is one of those Burgundian Pinots that transports you far beyond fruits and berries, finishing in a rather mysterious realm of forest floor, flowers, stones, and mammalian wild things. Suggestions of iodine, fruit pit, and ocean water add further complexity to the long though discreet finish. Like so many of this year's Drouhin successes, this walks its terroir softly and is too charming and polite even to want to carry a big stick . . . . [Winemaker Jerome Faure-Brac] employed vendange entier (whole clusters with stems) on a significant share of the grands (and top premiers) crus, but only in conjunction with rigorous table-sorting . . ." Wine Advocate #186, Dec 2009 |