Revealing refined, spicy red and dark fruit aromas, the medium-to-dark ruby-colored Echezeaux is a beautifully structured, feminine (almost dainty) wine with cherries, touches of cinnamon and supple tannins. Well-delineated and balanced, this medium-bodied, silky-textured wine will provide excellent drinking between 2001-2007. As I mentioned in Issue # 110, Bouchard is making considerable strides in improving the quality of their wines. Overall, these are clean, cherry-filled, spicy wines exhibiting good extraction of ripe fruit. Bouchard has consistently dropped yields over the past four years, and has been making other changes in their viticulture that will produce higher quality grapes. This, combined with their newfound commitment to new oak barrels and lighter filtration techniques is making Bouchard a source for excellent Burgundies. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. Importers: Clicquot, Inc., New York, NY; tel (212) 888-7575, and Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.