2006 - Echezeaux Grand Cru, Jean Grivot

Good full red. Wild aromas of black raspberry, smoke and minerals; quite showy today. Sweet, suave and fine-grained, with impressive density and lovely inner-mouth perfume. Very sexy, aromatic wine, with harmonious acidity lifting and extending the finishing flavors of dark fruits and minerals. A beauty.

From a southwestern appendage of its appellation – wedged between Les Suchots and Beaux Monts (and part of the former estate of Grivot's aunt, Jacqueline Jayer) – a 2006 Echezeaux smells of cherry and red currant, game, and an unusually alkaline minerality. This displays depth, breadth, yet also vivacious interplay on the palate. Ample tannins remain fine-grained and in no way block the juicy expression of fresh berries and red meat in a long finish. I wonder whether this will ever equal the mysterious allure of its Suchots or Beaumonts counterparts, but I would suggest giving it 2-3 years in bottle and then plan on following it for at least half a dozen more. "For me, the virtues of 2006 are freshness, reflection of terroir, minerality, and enormous vinosity. It is an accessible vintage," says Etienne Grivot, quickly signifying that "accessible" should on no account be taken pejoratively, or as excluding cerebral appeal. His aim to reinforce these characteristics by very gentle extraction has proven highly successful. Grivot says that since his experience in 2004 he is determined to chaptalize only extremely lightly – to extend fermentations a bit – if at all, because he believes that depressing finished levels of alcohol will other things being equal promote more expressive and elegant wines. He finds the frequent comparisons of 2006 to a cross between 2000 and 2001 reasonably apt. Incidentally, prices dropped a bit here in the 2006 vintage, an especially welcome move when one considers the high quality of the wines, not to mention the prestige of this estate. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400