Wine Advisor
Jean Grivot, Richebourg Grand Cru 2019
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2019 Richebourg Grand Cru is a deep ruby color. This is not a wine that soars from the glass; it bides its time, unfolding with every swirl, revealing layers of black and blueberry fruit and touches of blood orange and Seville oranges. The palate is where the action is: fabulous fine tannins and a symmetry that only a Grand Cru of this stature can provide. Effortless and ineffably pixelated on the finish, it fans out gloriously. Never-ending length. Fresh and perhaps a little more approachable than Grivot’s Richebourgs of the past, this is an awesome wine. Five barrels of this elixir produced.
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.
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