| Score: |
92-94 AM.
"From vines situated in En Orveaux planted in 1923, 1947, 1964 and 1979 totaling 0.56 ha. A slightly riper and notably more complex nose of red currant, black cherry, cassis, spice and once again, an abundance of floral notes marries into rich, round and impressively concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess dry extract levels that buffer the firm yet ripe tannins on the seductively textured and mouth coating finish. This is a muscular yet elegant Echézeaux . . . . Jean-Yves Bizot described 2010 as a vintage where ‘I sadly made very little wine. In the end I wound up with 13.5 barrels of wine, which relative to the size of my holdings works out to a yield of about 10 hl/ha, which is not much by any standard. I had several vineyards that were hit hard by the frost of December 2009 and even in Marsannay where the frost wasn't an issue, the deer ate the grapes. Worse still, a fellow vigneron accidentally used a weed killer when a gust of wind hit and spread it onto several rows of my vines, which killed the leaves reducing the yields further. So I wouldn't call 2010 an easy vintage, at least not for me and my vines. I began picking on the 25th of September and brought in reasonably clean fruit that required light sorting. Potential alcohols averaged right at 12% and the phenolic ripeness was excellent. In fact it was so good that I destemmed nothing. As to the wines, they're really very interesting. The first aspect that is intriguing is that the 2010s have a tendency toward reduction yet the lees were entirely clean. The tannins are ripe and pure and there is more acidity than in 2009 but a bit less than in 2008. I view the '10s as wines that are not only very pinot but also exhibit grace, elegance and intensity.’ I have to empathize with Bizot as it was sad to see so few barrels in his cellar, especially when his '10s are as good as they are. Fans of the Domaine will note the absence of the Vosne Vieilles Vignes and the Vosne 1er." Allen Meadows, Burghound.com, Jan 2012 |