What's Pressoir Drinking? Echezeaux Study at Anton's
August 17, 2021
by Raj Vaidya
Who says August in NYC is too hot to drink red wine (and a few Grand Cru whites)?
Last week we decided that a 97 degree evening in the summer was the perfect environment to do a study of the Grand Cru vineyard Echezeaux! A slightly overheated, yet perfectly enthusiastic group of merrymakers assembled with Daniel and me at Anton’s in Greenwich Village, one of my favorite neighbourhood restaurants.
We started out with a delicious magnum of Champagne Delamotte, just to cool off a bit, and followed that with a flight of Grand Cru white Burgundies. This proved refreshing for sure, but the group was eager to move onto red before too long…
To begin, a vertical of Domaine Jean Grivot’s Echezeaux, featuring the lauded 2009, 2010 and 2012 vintages. The 2010 was totally the star this evening, showing more energy and balance than the somewhat overly rich ’09 and the slightly shy and austere ’12. Bursting with notes of cola and spice from a noticeable yet pleasant bit of oak.
The next flight was an exciting and surprising one, featuring Pierre Duroché’s rare negociant bottling of this Grand Cru from 2017, which showed tremendous vibrancy and elegance which is the hallmark of that vintage, alongside the somewhat burlier examples from 2012 via the Domaines d’Eugenie and Romanée-Conti. The Eugenie over delivered, from the parcel historically known from the former ownership, the Réné Engel estate, with a dense core of fruit and great length on the palate. The Romanée-Conti performed beautifully as well, the only wine in this flight to use whole cluster fermentation which certainly made it stand out even more.
The fireworks were ignited with the last flight, from one of my longstanding favorites in Burgundy, the Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg. These bottles showed phenomenally well, with the 2014 a bit reticent and quiet at first but blossoming well, the 2010 showing tremendous breadth and minerality and the surprising wine of the night, for me at least, the 2008. An often underrated and underappreciated vintage, this 08 showed none of the vegetal or overly acidic notes of the vintage, but rather expressed perfect harmony and precision and remained on my palate for hours afterwards, and in the front of my mind well into the next morning!
The wines:
Domaine Louis Michel Vaudésir Chablis Grand Cru 2017
Etienne Sauzet Bienvenues Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru 2017
Domaine de Montille Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2017
Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2010
Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2012
Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2009
Domaine Duroche Echezeaux Grand Cru 2017
Domaine d’Eugenie Echezeaux Grand Cru 2012
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux 2012
Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg Echezeaux Grand Cru 2014
Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg Echezeaux Grand Cru 2010
Domaine Georges Mugneret Gibourg Echezeaux Grand Cru 2008
