2012 Echezeaux
By Domaine Dujac
2012 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac, Burgundy, France
In the pantheon of Burgundian luxury, the prowess of 2012 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac is exalted. It was a year that presented challenges; winemakers were held on tenterhooks by Burgundy’s tempestuous weather, with rewards bestowed upon those who meticulously managed their parcels of Pinot Noir. Domaine Dujac, under the guidance of Jeremy Seysses, has realised a wine of extraordinary grace and composure from this testing vintage.
A Confluence of Elements: A Collector's Bounty
The climatic wrestle of 2012 saw a reduction in yield that inadvertently concentrated flavours. The Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac marries precision with voluptuousness, rendering each sip an exquisite contradiction.
The nose is lavished with red fruits that seem to be captured at the precise point between ripeness and exuberance, entwined with earthy undertones and a wisp of incense. On the palate, there’s tension – black cherry and raspberry perform a precise ballet on tastebuds, lifted by ethereal floral notes and anchored by an iron-rich minerality.
Investment Worthy Indulgence
The 2012 vintage's stock continues to rise amongst aficionados and investors alike. Its scarcity commands attention; a promising prognostic for those bestowing their cellar with this gem.
The judicious use of oak at Domaine Dujac deftly frames the 2012 Echezeaux but does not suffocate it. What remains is a wine of sophistication, depth, and longevity—signifiers that elevate its status in the investment landscape.
Decanting unveils layers worth exploring yonder initial quaff; however, time in bottle is this beauty’s true friend. A façade of fragility belies an undercurrent of strength – attributes that position the 2012 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac as one to cherish now or let develop further in the obscurity of a well-regulated cellar space.
It stands confidently as one of the most intriguing propositions for collectors and investors seeking to imbue their portfolio with the illustrious character only a lauded vintage from Burgundy can provide.
Market price (USD)
$13,080.00
12x75cl
Highest score
95
POP score
714
Scores and tasting notes
The 2012 Echezeaux Grand Cru has a complex bouquet with touches of dark plum and mulberry infusing the red berry fruit. The oak is nicely married into the fruit profile here: open and generous. The palate is medium-bodied with a candied quality on the entry, spicy black fruit, dried orange peel and an effervescent finish that fans out nicely across the mouth. This is a pretty, feminine and vivacious Echezeaux that should age beautifully. Tasting in the cellars of Domaine Dujac in Morey Saint Denis is always an educational, enlightening experience, granting you a useful picture of how some of the top vineyards performed in the Cote de Nuits during a given year. Alec Seysses was on hand to guide me around his particularly cold cellar, one of those occasions when my warm hands might be bad for pastry, but ideal for warming glasses. “It was the fourth poor year in a row in terms of quantity,” he explained, showing me the concrete eggs now employed at the domaine, a less common sight here in Burgundy compared to Bordeaux. “although in 2012 we had a regular crop of the village crus and the younger vines did well. We averaged around 20 hectoliters per hectare. Everything was racked in early September but there is some reduction from the cold cellar. The softness of the tannins strikes me as a character of the vintage. It is more a dark fruit vintage than a red fruit vintage. Sugars were between 12.5 and 13%, with a few 13.3% here and there. I find the wines similar to 2010, but the 2012 is a little more charming because the tannins are not quite as strong.” Tasting through the complete range of wines from the small batch of negociant wines under “Dujac Fils et Pere” to the clutch of grand crus, it was clear that propitious terroirs that influenced the wines greatly. The village crus were mostly commendable in their own right, but the real excitement begins as you broach the premier crus, where the barrel samples achieve high degrees of complexity and nuance. Like many of the top growers, I was pleased to see individual terroirs articulated with great clarity in 2012, perhaps more so than the 2011s. These barrel samples seemed to contain so much energy: tightly coiled springs of fermented grape juice, brimming with tension and freshness that Jeremy and Alec will endeavor to capture once in bottle. I have little doubt that they will succeed. Importers: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724; Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Chambers & Chambers, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 642-5500 and though several merchants in the UK including Berry Brother & Rudd.
Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 December 2013