Domaine René Bouvier : Echezeaux Grand cru 2018

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018 from Domaine René Bouvier

Tasting

Appearance

The wine shows a brilliant ruby-red color with purple highlights, reflecting its youth and the purity of the extraction methods used.

Nose

Initially reserved, the nose gradually opens with aeration to reveal remarkable complexity. Black-fruit aromas dominate, with blackcurrant, blackberry and poached plum. Floral notes of rose, violet and peony mingle with spicy touches of cinnamon, pepper, anise and clove. The mineral dimension comes through in nuances of flint, chalk and wet stone, a hallmark of the limestone terroir of En Orveaux.

Palate

The attack is graceful and supple, followed by a structure that builds progressively through the mid-palate. The palate offers remarkable concentration expressed with delicacy and refinement rather than power. Flavors of red and black fruits are accompanied by the mineral, floral and spicy complexity perceived on the nose. Silky, velvety tannins lend a refined texture with no aggressiveness. The finish lingers with exceptional length, carrying the mineral, fruity and spicy elements well beyond the tasting, with a particularly elegant mineral salinity.

Food and wine pairings

This Burgundy grand cru pairs naturally with dishes that respect its refined character. It is a superb match for duck with dark berries, roasted red meats such as beef en croûte, as well as preparations featuring wild mushrooms. Burgundy washed-rind aged cheeses, such as Époisses, also create remarkable harmonies with the wine’s tannic structure and mineral complexity.

Serving and cellaring

The Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018 benefits from being decanted two to three hours before serving to fully reveal its aromatic range. The ideal serving temperature is between 15 and 17°C. This wine can be enjoyed now for its vibrant fruit and silky structure, but it also has outstanding aging potential. It can be tasted until around 2042, developing over time tertiary notes of leather, graphite and dried fruits characteristic of great mature Burgundian Pinots Noirs.

An Echezeaux Grand Cru combining Burgundian finesse with the terroir’s mineral expression

The estate

Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, this Burgundy estate traces its origins back to the 1950s, when René Bouvier took over the domaine founded by his father in 1910 in Marsannay. Run since 1992 by Bernard Bouvier, this family estate oversees a 30-hectare vineyard farmed with deep respect for the environment.  This terroir includes 23 hectares dedicated to red wines and 7 hectares to whites. 

The vineyard

The Echezeaux Grand Cru from Domaine René Bouvier comes from a thirty-are plot located in the Climat En Orveaux, in the northern part of the appellation, in the commune of Flagey-Échezeaux. This Climat is characterized by a moderate slope and limestone soils that are particularly stony, which explains its name evoking this rockiness. The complex geological subsoil includes Comblanchien limestone debris in the upper sections, mixed with gravel, clay and other mineral components that create a rich pedological profile. The vines, around sixty years old at the time of the 2018 harvest, benefit from deep root systems and optimal vegetative balance. Farmed under certified organic agriculture, they receive meticulous attention to limit yields and ensure full phenolic ripeness at harvest.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage stands out as a particularly favorable year in Burgundy. After a moderate spring, the hot, sunny summer allowed for optimal ripening. Harvest lasted nearly a month under ideal conditions, with exceptionally healthy grapes and an almost complete absence of fungal disease pressure. These conditions afforded Bernard Bouvier the luxury of picking each plot at the precise moment when the balance between sugar ripeness, acidity and tannin development reached its optimum. The perfect health of the fruit enabled winemaking without excessive intervention, allowing the terroir to express itself naturally.

Winemaking and aging

The Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018 was harvested entirely by hand. A double sorting, carried out first in the vineyard and then at the winery, ensured the selection of the finest grapes. Vinification began with a cold pre-fermentation maceration lasting four to six days, allowing gentle extraction of aromatic and phenolic compounds. A mid-range proportion of whole clusters was incorporated to add tannic complexity and additional aromatic dimension. Fermentation took place spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts, with regular manual punch-downs. Total maceration lasted around fifteen days. After separating the free-run wine and the press wine, aging continued for eighteen months in 228-liter French oak barrels, with twenty to thirty percent new oak. A final two-month period in tank preceded bottling, allowing natural clarification without filtration.

Grape variety

100% Pinot Noir