Wine Advisor
Jean Grivot, Richebourg Grand Cru 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Richebourg is a deep, broad shouldered wine graced with superb class. Dark red cherries, tobacco and sweet spices flow effortlessly from a structured, intense frame. Elegance appears shortly thereafter, with hints of rose petal that add lift and freshness. This is a wonderfully complete wine that will only require patience. Readers lucky enough to find it should not hesitate. Anticipated maturity: 2021-2034. This is a gorgeous set of wines from Etienne and Marielle Grivot that captures the essence of several of Vosne’s most illustrious vineyards. Grivot encourages slow malos and leaves the wines on the lees for approximately 15 months after the vinification. New oak ranges from 15-20% for the villages, 30-50% for the 1ers and 40-70% for the grands crus. Based on the wines I tasted 2009 looks like a much more consistent vintage than 2008. The finest 2008s are also well worth considering, but there are more highs and lows, especially in the entry part of the range. Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Napa CA; tel. (707) 299-2600
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted out of barrel at the Domaine. The Richebourg is decadent on the nose, very complex with dark broody fruits: dark cherries, blueberry and dark plum with a superb underlying mineralite. It seems to tighten up with aeration, offering more scents of Chinese Hoi sin and accentuated limestone. The palate is medium-bodied with structured, symmetrical tannic structure, very focused and extremely fresh, belying the power underneath and the sorbet-like finish (mandarin and citrus lemon.) Compact at the moment, but sure to unfurl over many years. Tasted November 2010.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Richebourg comes across as quite elegant and restrained for this site. This isn’t a huge Richebourg, rather it is a wine that convinces for its overall balance and sense of harmony. Today it is the wine’s length and minerality that stand out. It will be interesting to see where the Richebourg goes over the coming years. Everything here is implied rather than stated. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2039. Etienne Grivot’s 2009s were some of the most exciting wines I tasted on my most recent trip to Burgundy. Importer: Diageo Chateau and Estate Wines Company, New York, NY; tel. (212) 419-1400
About the Producer
Domaine Jean Grivot is among the great names in Burgundian wine. Étienne Grivot and his wife Marielle (Patrick Bize's sister) took over from Étienne’s father Jean Grivot in 1987. The Grivot family believes in generational change and in 2017, Étienne and Marielle’s daughter, Mathilde, took over for her parents. Mathilde brings a fresh approach while maintaining the longtime traditions of the Grivot family. The recently renovated winery and cellar is in Vosne-Romanée where most of the Grivot vineyards are located. The domaine has been assembled over several generations to its current size of 15.5 hectares and includes holdings in three grand crus: Clos de Vougeot, Echézeaux, and Richebourg. Mathilde believes in getting quality first thanks to meticulous vineyard work throughout the year. The result of this hard work is healthy, ripe (both phenolic and sugar levels) and depth of concentration and flavor of the fruit. Today, the vineyards are densely planted and farmed organically “sans certification,” while the aim in the cellar is for balance and clear expression of terroir. The grapes are entirely destemmed and maceration à froid usually lasts just a day or two. The fermentation starts naturally, with a little punching down before this fermentation begins. There is no more pigeage after fermentation begins, “I don’t like to mix the physical (punching down) with the spiritual (fermentation),” said Étienne. After fermentation, the wines are pumped over once a day before aging in barrel for 15 months. Depending on the vintage, the proportion of new oak is around 25% for the villages appellations, 30-40% for the premier crus and 40-45% percent for the grands crus.
