1997 Echézeaux Grand Cru

I sampled the '97s at this address with Madame Charlopin, who assured me that her husband could answer all of my technical questions. Unfortunately, he was off hunting in the wilds of Eastern Europe, out of radio contact, so I will have to wait until next year to describe the winemaking philosophy and techniques practiced here. Still, I want to present notes on Charlopin very deeply colored '97s, the best of which were impressively dense and concentrated. I also sampled several '96s from 375 ml. bottles, but except for a very good Vosne Romanee villages and a chocolatey rich Clos Saint Denis, these bottles lacked freshness. By all accounts, Charlopin regular 750 ml. bottles are perfectly sound. (Fruit of the Vine, New York, NY; also a Peter Vezan Selection, imported by Arborway Imports, Lexington, MA)