2015 Echezeaux
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Tasting notes
(13.8%; from 30- and 60+-year-old vines; 3-1/2 barrels made, versus just 1 in 2016): Bright dark red. Sappy, pure aromas of black and red fruits and pungent minerals lifted by a floral topnote. Wonderfully penetrating and smooth, displaying outstanding intensity and class to its fruit and savory mineral flavors. Offers a compelling combination of velour and weightlessness. Thick and seamless but still youthfully tight, this very pure wine finishes with superb subtle rising length. This very cool site can perform splendidly in hot years like 2015; indeed, the estate harvested these vines at the end, on September 11. But winemaker Gublin noted that the first vintage was 1996 and that the estate "has never had a negative surprise, in either cold or hot years." I prefer this wine to the Chambertin for its suavity. And here the terroir (Domaine Prieur's vines are in Les Champs Traversins and Les Poulaillères) dominates the vintage character. A wine of great panache.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(70% new oak; destemmed; this fruit was harvested last, on September 11): Dark, bright red-ruby. Captivating subtle perfume of red berries, peony and spices, plus a whiff of tobacco. Thirst-quenching, saline wine (the pH is a moderate 3.4) with outstanding intensity but a magically light touch to its slightly wild flavors of black and blue fruits, minerals, menthol and mint framed by pungent juicy acidity. Finishes with outstanding rising length and lift. It's hardly the first time that this wine from the lieu-dit Les Champs Traversins has stood out in the Domaine Prieur line-up. This wine should easily last for 25 years (my original note said 215 years but I assume that was a typo).
The 2015 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a very opulent bouquet, quite rich compared to others that I tasted, a touch of fresh dates and fig giving away the warmth of the growing season. The palate is sweet and candied on the entry with fleshy ripe black fruit, salted licorice developing on the second half that feels powerful and long. It will need several years to gain composure but it has the substance to suggest long-term ageing.
The 2015 Echezeaux Grand Cru has a very opulent bouquet, quite rich compared to others that I tasted, a touch of fresh dates and fig giving away the warmth of the growing season. The palate is sweet and candied on the entry with fleshy ripe black fruit, salted licorice developing on the second half that feels powerful and long. It will need several years to gain composure but it has the substance to suggest long-term ageing. Dec 2016, www.robertparker.com