1971 Grands Echezeaux
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Tasting notes
I have been fortunate to taste the 1971 Grands Echézeaux four times now (always a privilege when it is your birth year). This 1971 bottle is as good as the best I have come across despite some turbidity in the glass. Yet the bouquet is divine and ethereal with vestiges of red cherry and strawberry, wild heather (again - just like previous bottles) and pressed flowers. The palate is fully mature with tart red fruit, brown spice and that telltale sense of transparency towards the finish. It is not a dense or powerful wine and I suspect it was better around 20 years of age. But it has aged gracefully and maintained such exceptional balance and poise that you cannot help surrendering to its charms. Tasted at a private lunch at Howard's Gourmet.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 1971 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru is a wine that I have tasted a handful of times; this a vintage where the wines excelled (not until 1978 was that the case again). Here the bottle was similar in color to previous encounters with quite a broad degradation. The bouquet is fresh and lively with that brambly red fruit, orange peel and wild heather (yes - I wrote exactly the same descriptors as last time without any previous recall!). The palate conveys wonderful energy, a purring motor here, poised and transparent. It gently unfolds—such a nuanced Grands Echézeaux that paradoxically leaves a deep impression. Outstanding. Tasted December 2016.
About the producer
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or simply “DRC” is without doubt the most famous domaine in Burgundy and one of the most famous producers on earth. The Grand Cru vineyard from which it takes its name produces the world’s most expensive wine by a long margin.