2006 Echezeaux
By Domaine Dujac
2006 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac, Burgundy, France
The 2006 vintage in Burgundy stands as a testament to the finesse that can be achieved by skilled vintners in an ostensibly challenging year. The year was characterised by a turbulent growing season – one that threw an entire panoply of climatic trials towards the stoic vines of Echezeaux. Yet, it is precisely this struggle and the deft touch of the winemakers at Domaine Dujac that conjure the magic found within each bottle of their 2006 Echezeaux.
Delicate Craftsmanship in a Rigorous Season
The cooler weather patterns of this vintage delayed ripening and bewitched the grapes with a slower gestation period, and, yet, Domaine Dujac responded with meticulous vineyard management, championing a wine of sublime balance. The heralded terroir of Echezeaux – rich in complexity and favour – lends this wine astute elegance which rings through from initial scent to lingering finish.
A Vintage Defined by Nuance
Tasting this 2006 Echezeaux reveals layers upon layers of aromatic subtlety: a tapestry woven with ripe cherry and blackcurrant, laced with whispers of truffle and earthy undertones from the distinguished soils of Burgundy's Côte de Nuits. On the palate, we find a symphony of vivacious acidity paired with seamless tannins that proclaim both structure and silkiness in the same breath - an ode to the exactitude demanded during this cool vintage.
Investors who cherish the poise that comes with a bit of adversity will find affinity with this 2006 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac. Reflecting on its progress since bottling, one notes how admirably it has evolved; demonstrating that time can indeed elevate the initially subtle charms to sophisticated depths. Indeed, this wine is now entering a splendid window of maturity wherein its underlying complexity can be savoured to its fullest.
Summary: An Exemplar of Resilience and Refinement
In summary, those discerning investors looking for a wine that exemplifies the adaptive mastery of Burgundian winemaking need look no further than the 2006 Echezeaux from Domaine Dujac. This vintage not only surmounted challenges but translated them into characteristics which imbue the wine with a remarkable narrative – one that keen collectors will appreciate both as an investment and as a consummate jewel of their cellar portfolio.
Current market price
£8,680.00
12x75cl
Highest score
92
POP score
723.33
Scores and tasting notes
Raw meat, high-toned and tartly-edged red fruits mingle in the nose and palate of Dujac's 2006 Echezeaux, and a horseradish-like sizzle and pungency lends invigoration. Texturally refined, refreshing, and endearingly elegant, this preserves a precision and transparency of fruit that are notably, with its carnal and smoky, mineral aspects lingering intriguingly. An excellent example of 2006 vintage elegance, it should be worth following for at least 6-8 years. Jeremy Seysses only destemmed a minority of his 2006 fruit, and in some appellations none. The results demonstrate that Dujac got things ripe – not to mention right – in a challenging vintage, with a collection that need not fear comparison with 2005 at this address. (Perhaps, if anything, 2005 ought to look to its laurels!) The team here started picking only on September 23, and then very meticulously and selectively. Clos de la Roche, for example, was picked in two passes nearly a week apart. The top wines came in at between 13 and 13.5% natural alcohol, with minimal chaptalization employed in some instances to extend fermentation. "Color and flavor extraction was easy," says Seysses, "and we did more punch-downs than in 2005, because we felt quite confident of our material. The fruit is fresh and crisp, but not green, and we had no jamminess. It was just right. There's very little to complain about." Indeed! Importer: The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 21 December 2009