Log in / Sign up Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux 2020
The 2020 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is a mesmerizing young wine, enveloping the senses with a bouquet of mulberries and cassis gracefully entwined with the zest of orange peel, exotic spices, and the delicate essence of rose petals. On the palate, it unfolds as a full-bodied, seamless masterpiece, revealing an intricate, fleshy texture that culminates in a profound, enduring, and saline finish. Its fruit concentration is so pronounced that the velvety tannins remain almost imperceptible, and in the context of the 2020 vintage, Grands-Échézeaux takes center stage, dispelling any notion of being in the background to Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Richebourg.
This is the fastest maturing and least complex of all the Domaine's wines. It opens before the others, displaying a delightful clarity of expression: a seductive tenderness overlays a firm structure which allows it to evolve with elegance. Grands-Echézeaux's little brother it sometimes approaches its style in terms of muscularity and power.
Pinot Noir pairs well with a variety of dishes, including grilled salmon, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, and charcuterie, thanks to its versatile and elegant character.
The wine, adorned in a dark, pale-edged purple robe, offers an alluring and soft aroma that is both flattering and subtly seductive, instantly captivating the senses. It persists beautifully in the glass, marked by the noticeable hallmark of "fruit-freshness" that defines the vintage. This freshness is prominently displayed even on the nose, creating a captivating olfactory experience.
On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and concentrated, enlivened by a lively acidity that adds vibrancy. The tannins are notably fine-grained, contributing to the wine's overall finesse. Its flavors are sweet-cored, with ripe black cherry nuances beautifully balanced by the vitality of red fruits. The wine embodies mid-weight proportions, characteristic of the vintage, and it gracefully evolves as a long, linear, and intricately complex offering. The gentle bracing, refreshing sweetness of 2020 comes through, almost like a tonic. The wine concludes with fine, light length, rendering it succulent when compared to Corton. Echézeaux is portrayed beautifully here, and ideally, it will benefit from another five or six years of aging before being opened, with a drinking window extending from 2028 to 2040 or beyond.
