WTN: Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux 2001

• 2001 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru (8/7/2008)
  104,90€; 13,5% abv. A very pretty Pinot: ripe, but not in any way overbearing fruit; wonderful tart cherry aromas, pure Pinosity in a delightfully vegetal way, mineral/almost metallic, a very pure and (contrary to the more masculine style of GE of DRC) feminine wine. Medium bodied but very persistent and delineated. It has lovely structure and lovely fruit, but nothing sticks out, everything is in perfect proportion to all the other parts. It is in my experience typical for the year and producer (I haven't had enough GE to say how it fits in to that); and most importantly, it is an exquisite wine for my tastes though a decade or two too young.

Posted from CellarTracker

[Jenise]

• 2001 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru (8/7/2008)
  104,90€; 13,5% abv. A very pretty Pinot: ripe, but not in any way overbearing fruit; wonderful tart cherry aromas, pure Pinosity in a delightfully vegetal way, mineral/almost metallic, a very pure and (contrary to the more masculine style of GE of DRC) feminine wine. Medium bodied but very persistent and delineated. It has lovely structure and lovely fruit, but nothing sticks out, everything is in perfect proportion to all the other parts. It is in my experience typical for the year and producer (I haven't had enough GE to say how it fits in to that); and most importantly, it is an exquisite wine for my tastes though a decade or two too young.

Posted from CellarTracker

You've been slumming again. I'm surprised though to see a wine like this opened so young--and at 7 years old no less, when most higher end pinots are fast asleep.

Thanks for the notes. I too don't have a clear vision of GE as a terroir, but generally like from good producers (of which I definitely include Drouhin, #1 Burg producer in my cellar). While I think 2001 (in CdN at least) is an excellent and structured vintage, I've had several nicely open ones (Drouhin village Chambolle, Roumier Chambolle, Mong-Mug Echezeaux, Chevillon Roncieres) recently. It is surprisingly that none were shut down hard.

Jenise, obviously this wasn't the best time to open such a bottle - if anyone has any, like I said, a decade or two would be a good time to let them rest. But also as Dale said, many 01 CdNuits are aromatically surprisingly open. They are young, but they give very much also. I have even enjoyed some Montille and Faiveley 2001s recently and those are reputed to be among the more reticent Burgundy producers! My appreciation might simply be due to me liking the general profile (well structured, elegant, but pure) profile of the vintage - if we allow for gross generalisations, of course.

-O