2007 Echézeaux Grand Cru

Etienne Grivot described the 2008 growing season as completely crazy. "Those who had active leaf cover on their vines could benefit from the long vegetative cycle," added Grivot, who did two passes through his vineyards but never cuts off the leaves on the north and east sides of the vines because he believes this results in a loss of finesse in the wines. Essentially, the fruit he eliminated was the 5% to 15% of the berries that flowered too late, and this fruit was very easy to sort out. There was little or no rot. Grivot compares 2008 to 1993 but believes that the new set of wines has suaver tannins and more unctuous texture. "The wines are dense but introverted and they will age well." The malos finished about three weeks prior to my visit and the wines were then sulfited; I tasted blends of each cuvee from multiple barrels. Grivot described 2007 as "very pinot, very accessible, with good terroir character. It's a vintage of charm and pleasure, a lot like 2000, and a perfect initiation to Burgundy."

Etienne Grivot started harvesting on September 5, "a bit late," taking advantage of the north wind that started blowing around August 20. Potential alcohol levels ranged from 12.2% to 13.2%, he told me, and most wines received less than a half-degree of chaptalization. Most of the malos were finished by June and Grivot racked his wines in September, eliminating most of the new oak and barely de-gassing the wines. "It's a tender vintage but not fragile; the wines are likeable and seductive but also have good density," said Grivot, who may bottle them a bit earlier than usual. He compares the 2007s to the 1997s in terms of their maturity levels but says that the '07s have sounder acidity. Grivot compares his 2006s to his 2001s but believes they are larger-scaled. "And they're denser than I thought they were at the beginning." Incidentally, Grivot continues to destem all of his fruit, but is fermenting with a higher percentage of uncrushed berries.