GRANDS ÉCHEZEAUX

2016 Grand Cru Joseph Drouhin

EN PRIMEUR

Some innovative vinification was needed here in 2016. Lots of whole bunches were used (nearly 100%) as there was so little fruit and they wanted to fill the vessel. Tiny crop not solely because of the frost, they also have just replaced lots of the vines - so will be small harvest for 5-6 years anyway. This entire production was made in just one 500 litre barrel, turned on its side and with the top taken off. The team ended up with just 350 litres of wine. There is a grandeur to the richness here. A savoury, dark line swirls through the weighty, ample, brooding fruit. Damson and baked red plums. Pepper, lots of whole bunch chew and steminess.. Good though and a good drive of power. L&S (Nov 2017)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

There is enough wood influence to mention setting off the liqueur-like aromas of black cherry liqueur, plum, smoke, Asian-style tea and subtle floral wisps. Like the Clos de Vougeot the big-bodied and overtly muscular flavors possess superb richness while displaying evident power on the mouth coating, extract-rich and superbly persistent finish where the wood exhibited by the nose reappears. In short, this is breathtakingly good. Drinking range: 2036 - Rating: 96 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Apr 2018)

A classic-styled Echezeaux with smoke, dried strawberries and spices. Flowers, too. Full body, dusty tannins and firm, polished and textured finish. Needs four or five years to open but a beautiful wine to taste now. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)

Firm and chewy and not at all charming at the moment but the tannins are elegant even though they are much more prominent than in any of the wines tasted so far. Some chocolate sweetness from the oak, and much thicker in texture. Seems to lack the elegance of 2016 generally. Needs time. Drinking range: 2026 - 2034 Rating: 16.5++ Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Feb 2018)

Joseph Drouhin, founded in 1880 and still family owned, are one of the most well-respected names in Burgundy, especially through their flagship wine, the iconic Clos des Mouches.

A huge part of the Drouhin production comes from their own domaine fruit (78 hectares), and much of the rest comes from contracts such as that with the Marquis de Laguiche, who shook hands with the grandfather of the current generation, agreeing to let him manage his vineyards which included an important part of Le Montrachet; this collaboration endures. Today, the fourth generation is at the helm

Small refinements continue to be made here. The presses have been changed - a reversion to basket pressing for the reds, and for whites the presses are open - along with a number of other growers they are following the trend to think that slight oxidation of the juice before fermentation is not a problem and may add complexity as well as avoiding later problems of premature oxidation in bottle.

For the reds there has been the introduction of selective whole-bunch fermentation in the Côte de Nuits wines. The house style remains one that 'emphasises the natural elegance of great Burgundies' as they describe it. The domaine is all cultivated with an organic and biodynamic approach.

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STORAGE OPTIONS:

Wines bought en primeur are scheduled to arrive in the UK over the course of the next eighteen months. If you do not wish to take home delivery, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our primeurs team for more information.

While helpful, we do not require a firm commitment on delivery destination to process your primeur order at this stage. Our team will be in contact with you when your wines arrive in the UK to confirm the necessary delivery details.

BURGUNDY EN PRIMEUR FAQ

OFFER: All wines are offered subject to availability and final confirmation.

PRICING: All prices are quoted IN BOND ex-VAT, by the case size stated. Please double check that the desired case size does match what is being offered as wines are variously listed in threes, sixes, dozens, halves and larger formats.

DELIVERY - TIMING: This is a primeur offer so the wines are not yet physically available for delivery. They will be shipped to the UK over the next eighteen months. Generally, wines are shipped to your nominated location once the whole order has landed in our London City Bond account. If you require wines to be delivered by a certain date, please advise us at the time of ordering.

DELIVERY - FEES: In bond delivery to an Elephant Storage account (for more information see 'Storage Options' opposite) is free of charge. Transfer of wines to any third-party bond (i.e. not Elephant Storage) will incur an administration charge of £16.50 + VAT for all orders under £1,000. Please indicate if you would like the wine duty paid and a duty & VAT invoice will be raised once all the wines on your order are available for shipment. Once the relevant duty & VAT has been settled, we will ship the wines to your nominated address as per our normal duty paid Delivery Terms.

PAYMENT: All orders will be invoiced for immediate payment by cheque, cash, debit card or cleared funds to our account. We regret that we cannot accept credit cards for primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.