2007 Echezeaux
By Domaine Dujac
2007 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac, Burgundy, France
The 2007 vintage in Burgundy was one marked by capricious weather patterns, which culminated in a harvest that tested the mettle of its vignerons. Domaine Dujac, with its illustrious history and staunch dedication to terroir-expressive wines, navigated this challenging year with deft precision. The result is a rendition of Echezeaux that is as beguiling as it is unexpected.
Artful Precision Meets Climatic Caprice
The vagaries of the 2007 season instilled an ineffable quality into Burgundian wines that skilled producers like Domaine Dujac have adeptly harnessed. In their 2007 Echezeaux, one encounters an arresting balance between vibrant acidity and delicate tannins. The nuanced dance of earthy complexity and bright fruit notes—a symphony of raspberry and black cherry adorned with truffles and exotic spices—is nothing short of entrancing.
An Investment in Finesse
For the fine wine investor seeking to diversify with a piece steeped in the subtlety of an atypical year, this offering speaks volumes. The 2007 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac holds the promise of further evolution. Its lively structure and aromatic depth suggest a capacity for graceful ageing, poised to reward the patient collector with an exquisite blossoming of character over time.
Investing in such a vintage is a declaration of one’s commitment to not only financial savvy but also an appreciation for vinous artistry that thrives under duress—the hallmark of truly exceptional terroir working in harmony with human skill. The 2007 Echezeaux stands as a testament to the triumphs that can emerge from climatic adversity when entrusted to the hands of a masterful domaine like Dujac.
In summation, for those specialising in fine wine portfolios, the inclusion of the 2007 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac could be considered a prudent acquisition—its eloquent expression of an unpredictable vintage serving as both a sensual delight and a cerebral intrigue.
Market price (HKD)
HK$123,450.00
12x75cl
Highest score
92
POP score
1076.67
Scores and tasting notes
Pomegranate and red raspberry set the tart, bright, yet ripe themes for Dujac’s 2007 Echezeaux, with vanilla, ginger spice, sage-like pungency, and cherry pit piquancy lending stimulating complexity to fruit of surprisingly liqueur-like sweetness and creaminess of texture, yet strongly lingering brightness. This is so ravishing now there’s no need to wait, but I would not be surprised to see it continue on excellent behavior for another 4-6 years. The Dujac 2008s were not racked until last December, and bottling took place January through March. “The malic acid numbers were high-ish, but not significantly higher than in, say, 2006 or 2001,” says Jeremy Seysses in an effort to explain what he admitted were “for us, excessively late malos. I have a feeling it was a lack of nutrients that were wash out,” he continues, since, after all, “it rained a lot in 2008” with, he adds, “poor fruit set proving to be the vintage’s saving grace. I think we would actually have had less to harvest (i.e. worth keeping) if we had had a better fruit set. There was rot, but can you find it in any of the wines? That’s a credit to how far Burgundy has come along in terms of sorting” (which Dujac does exclusively in the vineyard, not on sorting tables – the name of their U.S. importer ironically notwithstanding). “I didn’t love my lack of options in 2007,” says Seysses of the preceding season, “so we picked early – earlier even than in 2003.” In vinification “we decided not to force too much, and just to keep it charming,” which is exactly how I thought the wines turned out. “At Domaine Dujac, we’re never been that attached to deep color, so we’re quite tolerant (in that regard), and the least thing we wanted to do was make hard wines. I de-stemmed more (than usual, or than in 2008). The fruit felt fragile, so in barrel I kept the wines under a bit more free sulfur than usual, which reinforced their lightness.” Seysses opines that 2007 was not a year in which old selections displayed their overall superiority to clones, because “if yo(‘re Pinots) were riper earlier, you were ripe while it was raining,” whereas in 2008 you could scarcely get too much ripeness. Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2010