Introduced by aromas of black raspberries, smoky wild berries, grilled game and rich soil tones mingling in a complex bouquet, the 2017 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, a full-bodied, deep and multidimensional wine with a concentrated core of fruit, velvety structuring tannins and a long, savory finish. While this possesses the charm that typifies this vintage at its best, it's one cuvée that will definitely reward bottle aging.

The 2016 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru has a refined bouquet with blackberry, blueberry, woodland and spice box aromas—quite complex and very focused, growing in stature in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin. The oak comes through rather too strongly on the finish, and I hope this is assimilated by the time it is bottled. I did inquire and was told that it was matured in a single 350-liter barrel that was one year old, so maybe it was just one of those days?

The 2015 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru was a little more reduced on the nose than the Echezeaux at this early stage, though there appears to be great power and intensity waiting to unfurl. The palate is medium-bodied, intense with a very silky texture belying the backbone underneath. This is more masculine, perhaps even more austere than the Echézeaux, but it is beautifully balanced with a very long tail on the finish. There is ambition locked into this nascent Grand Cru.

The 2014 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on September 18 and contains 15% whole cluster fruit, bottled in August 2015. It has a refined nose, not the most complex that I encountered during my tasting, clean and pure, maybe conservative with chalky scents developing. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, a little aggressive here with an attenuated finish. This is the one Grand Cru that I did not get -- maybe not showing on the day? Though it is already in bottle...I wonder if that was too soon? Let's see how this turns out.

The 2013 Grands Echézeaux comes from old vines and includes around 15% whole-cluster fruit. It has a very ripe and opulent bouquet with dark plum and mulberry with light violet scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, ripe tannins, very good density, backward compared to Drouhin’s other 2013s, with density and presence on the finish. This is a Grands Echezeaux demanding to be taken seriously. You should heed its advice.