2002 Echezeaux
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Tasting notes
(from the climat Les Rouges; 2002 was the first vintage vinified by current winemaker Eric Germain): Good dark red. Very ripe, complex and enticing on the nose and palate, offering balsamic aromas of prune, damson plum, licorice and darker fruits; even a touch porty. Plump, lush and rich but still quite youthful, showing an intriguing saline element. The big tannins are a bit dry and dusty. Impressive more than elegant; at the limit of heavy but doesn't cross the line. Germain told me that he "worked hotter" back in 2002, raising the temperature of the wine to 38 degrees C for four or five days at the end of the fermentation, which he said brought a balsamic, cooked-fruit character. Today the fermentations here never exceed 28 degrees, he added.
Critic scores
Average Score
Pierre Rovani
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Good medium red. Precise aromas of musky raspberry, flowers, minerals and smoky oak. Pliant, generous and silky, with perfumed, intense flavors of red berries and minerals. Fleshy and sexy wine, with excellent volume and sweetness. Finishes firm, pure and quite long, with sweet tannins and insinuating red fruit, mineral and floral flavors.
I loved the sweet cassis aromas of the 2002 Echezeaux as well as its powerful, intense, syrupy personality. Medium to full-bodied and gorgeously ripe, it bastes the palate with thick black fruit flavors. In addition, this wine reveals great depth and a lengthy, fruit-packed finish. Projected maturity: 2007-2017. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel. (205) 980-8802. Readers should note that Vincent Girardin also bottles some of these same wines under the Baron de la Charriere label, imported by Eric Solomon (European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. 704-358-1565)
Medium ruby-red. Expressive aromas of cassis, espresso and game. Then juicy, sweet and rather gentle; an elegantly styled wine with very good density and concentration. Fresh, youthful flavors of cassis and licorice. Finishes with fine tannins and good sneaky persistence.