1996 Echézeaux Grand Cru

This domain, like so many others in Burgundy, opted for an early bottling of the '97s, to capture maximum fruit. They began with the grand crus, most of which were in bottle by the time of my late January visit. Francois Faiveley noted that the domain reds were not acidified in either '97 or '98. On the contrary, he more worried about getting excessive grape sugars than about low acidity. He'd far rather pick a bit early and chaptalize, up to a full 1.5%, so the domain is unlikely to begin with acid deficient fruit. Faiveley describes the '97s here as a bit like '89, but fresher, best suited for drinking on the young side. There are plenty of tannins, says Faiveley, "but they are very ripe riper than those of '96 and almost Bordeaux like." The wines are softer in structure than those of the previous vintage, but better balanced for early consumption. About one third new oak was used for the crus.

The Faiveley '96s were among the most deeply colored I tasted in November. "Getting deep color is not just a matter of extraction during vinification," points out Francois Faiveley. "Triage is of critical importance to the color of the wine: it is essential to remove underripe or rotten grapes, and to remove any possible sources of oxidation." Faiveley describes the 1995 vintage as outstanding but more austere, while 1996 "has always tasted good." The pHs were similar in the two vintages, but grape sugars were generally a bit lower in '96. Incidentally, fans of great white Burgundy should track down a bottle or two of Faiveley '95 Corton-Charlemagne, a worthy successor to the outstanding '89.