2013 Domaine d'Eugenie, Echezeaux Grand Cru

Deep ruby-red. A distinctly black-fruit version of Echézeaux, with blackberry and violet aromas accented by minerals and pepper. Juicy, spicy and quite primary, showing attractive sweetness on the attack but still youthfully imploded in the middle. Sappy and compact yet not at all hard.

The 2013 Echézeaux Grand Cru has a taut and linear bouquet, like the Brulées very well defined aromatically with scents of dark cherry, blackberry, briary and wet limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, a gentle grip and a gentle crescendo toward a nicely structured, symmetrical finish. This is a very well-crafted Grand Cru that should be cellared for five or six years.

Opulent and expressive. Intense and firm. Juicy and actually quite open. Fine tannins on the finish. Real race. Not massive but very expressive. But just a little lacking on the end. (JR)