2023 Echézeaux Grand Cru

“I’d rather have 2023 every year than 2024,” quips Alec Seysses. There are two simultaneous grouped tastings, one for the Brits and the other for the “rest of the world.” “We conducted a green harvest as we knew the vintage would be large. It’s a gamble because if the summer is dry then the grapes can be smaller. We picked the first whites on September 1 in Puligny Folatières, which we slightly chaptalized, and then on September 6 we did the Puligny Combettes. We finished with the reds on September 15. The September heatwave was surprising because usually it is July or August. We have never picked under such warm temperatures, and so everything was picked in the mornings before 1 p.m. We have never had such a large picking team: between 60 and 70 people. We did not want the fruit too warm, but our tanks are temperature-controlled, so we cooled the fruit to 20°C. The yields are around 45-48 hl/ha for the reds. We destemmed a little more than we normally do because of the volume, and we got caught out by some of the vats at the beginning [being too full], so overall, around 20-30% were destemmed. Maybe that was a little more than we needed to do? The alcohol levels are around 13.5% with a couple of exceptions at 14%. Our cellars were colder in 2024, and we have more efficient air conditioning, so the malo was slower and later than usual. Finally, apart from the Nuits Saint-Georges, 2023 will be the last vintage for the négociant wines under Dujac Frère & Soeur.”