Wine Advisor
Jean Grivot, Richebourg Grand Cru 2018
View analysis
Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru has a plush nose with layers of red fruit, and a veneer of seriously high-quality oak perfectly in proportion to fruit intensity. Lavish and precocious in keeping with the growing season. The palate is medium-bodied with a core of sweet sappy red fruit, lightly spiced with candied orange peel and marmalade scents, surprisingly peppery and vibrant on its persistent peacock’s tail of a finish. Pretty awesome overall. This Richebourg unquestionably needs time. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 red tasting.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Richebourg Grand Cru needed rigorous aeration to reveal its intense blackberry, raspberry and incense aromas; a slight dark chocolate element emerges with time. The palate is full-bodied and quite dense in style, as you would expect from this Grand Cru. Grippy and structured, with multilayered red fruit laced with white pepper and bay leaf toward the long finish. A substantial Richebourg, but one that also conveys a sense of grace and elegance. Excellent.
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.
