Ten top Echézeaux producers you need to know

The style of Echézeaux wines is highly diverse since there are nearly 60 proprietors who own vines in the appellation’s 11 lieux-dits.

Many own parcels in more than one section, and thus the wines are often blends. Officially, all the wines are Echézeaux, full stop – it is prohibited to indicate the origin more specifically.

Even if some domaines have done so in the past, the authorities are now forbidding this practice.

The key to understanding the wines is more about knowing the individual producers than memorising the particularities of each terroir. Here are a few of my personal favourites:

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti

It is impossible to discuss Echézeaux without an appreciation of the wines of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

It is by far the largest owner, with 4.67 ha (12.2% of the total). Nearly all of this is located in Les Poulaillères.

The wine is usually among the first from the Domaine to hit maturity, and there is a fleshy, forward exuberance to it that I find particularly charming.

Domaine Emmanuel Rouget

In contrast to other producers, I have often found Rouget’s Echézeaux to be savoury, mineral and tannic, with a structured and muscular approach.

Emmanuel’s son, Guillaume Rouget, is now farming his family’s 1.43 ha in Echézeaux. The family is the third-largest proprietor of the appellation, and the vines are grouped in the southern part of the appellation, in Cruots, Les Treux, and Clos Saint-Denis.

Guillaume blends the parcels together to make a singular, delicious wine.

Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg

I have been a fan for many years of the Echézeaux produced by Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg.

The domaine has owned since the 1930s nearly a hectare of vines in two parcels: Rouges du Bas and Quartiers de Nuits.

Since 2016, they farm the entire parcel in Rouges du Bas, but the vines in Quartier de Nuits are sharecropped by their cousin Pascal Mugneret.

Because of the sharecropping arrangement the blend is often dominated by grape from the old vines on the steep slopes of Rouges du Bas, which have been vinified in recent years with a proportion of whole clusters.

The wine often seems the most approachable of the three grand crus produced by the domaine.

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

From the earliest vintages of Liger-Belair’s Echézeaux my notes describe it as lush and forward with an emphasis on the explosive nature of the fruit as opposed to the more cerebral wines from La Romanée and Aux Reignots.

The cuvée represents an elegant balance of several different parts of the vineyard since his 0.86ha holding comes from parcels ranging from Champs Traversins to Cruots or Vignes Blanches, Clos-St-Denis, and a recently added parcel of Echézeaux du Dessus.

Domaine Faiveley

Faiveley owns 0.83 ha of Echézeaux located on the south-facing slope of lieu-dit En Orveaux in white marl soil.

This is a cooler, late-ripening spot that delivers wines with freshness and structure. Because it sits right on the border with Chambolle-Musigny premier cru Combe d’Orveau – where the family also owns vines – the style of the wine can resemble the wines of Chambolle in its purity of fruit and exquisite perfume.

Domaine d’Eugenie

François Pinault’s Artemis Domaines is in the process of refashioning its presence in the Côte de Nuits.

The group purchased the historic, highly-regarded Domaine René Engel in 2006 and renamed it Domaine d’Eugenie. Winemaking was modernised at the new estate by talented Technical Director Michel Mallard, who departed after the 2022 vintage to focus on his domaine in Ladoix.

Jaeok Cramette, late of Château Grillet, has been given the reins – and some marvellous new vineyards. Artemis has detached several choice parcels, notably 0.40 ha of Echézeaux, from the portfolio of Bouchard Père et Fils.

This complements the 0.50 ha of Echézeaux owned by René Engel since all of the vines are in lieu-dit En Orveaux. To judge from my initial tasting of these wines, she is off to a fantastic start.

Domaine des Perdrix

Domaine des Perdrix farms 1.15ha of Echézeaux; 0.85ha in Echézeaux du Dessus, and the balance in Quartiers de Nuits.

It produces a cuvée that is a barrel selection from Echézeaux du Dessus and another that is a blend of Echézeaux du Dessus and Quartiers de Nuits. Some of the grapes from the latter are declassified into their village-level Vosne bottling.

The grapes are fermented with 30% whole clusters and are aged in cask (50% new) for 15 months.

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret

Rich, dark, and powerful, the Echézeaux that I have tasted from Mongeard-Mugneret are often structured and dense.

The grapes, sometimes picked on the later side, come from parcels scattered throughout the climat.

The fruit is destemmed or vinified with some whole bunches according to the demands of the year, and aged with a generous proportion of new oak.

The domaine owns three parcels in Echézeaux du Dessus, balanced by another in En Orveaux and another in Les Treux which total 2.60 hectares, second only to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in size.

Domaine Hoffmann-Jayer

Domaine Hoffmann-Jayer is managed today by energetic young winemaker Alexandre Vernet, who farms 0.54 ha of Echézeaux du Dessus located just above Grands Echézeaux – the plot used to belong to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

The vines are more than 60 years old, and Vernet ferments them with up to 40% whole clusters depending on the vintage before ageing in cask (30% new) and bottling unfiltered.

The result is elegant and forward with complex fruit character and understated oak aromas.

Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet

Amelie Berthaut farms 0.21 ha of Echézeaux split between parcels in Quartiers de Nuits, Les Treux, and Champs Traversins.

She describes the differences : ‘Les Treux has the deepest soils and gives a plump wine – I only have one row, but it’s 80 years old. Quartiers de Nuits has lots of little stones, and Champs Traversins is located at the top of the slope next to the wood, which is a cooler site with slightly sandy soils.’

It’s the combination of the soil, the vine stock, and the winegrower – each is important in the mix. She often uses 70–80% whole clusters and ages the wine without any new casks. The result is positively delicious.

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