Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2017

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The 2017 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru is appreciably deeper and more complete than the Echézeaux this year, wafting from the glass with an incipiently complex bouquet of black raspberries, rich soil, cassis, cigar wrapper and currant leaf. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, with good density and depth at the core, structured around fine-grained but firm tannins. While this is a more giving, immediate vintage for the Domaine's wines, the Grands Échézeaux will reward bottle age.

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: William Kelley

More brooding and reserved than the Échézeaux that preceded it in the tasting, the 2017 Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru unwinds in the glass with an enticing bouquet of cassis, blackberries, blood orange, exotic spices and musk. On the palate, it's full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a more introverted, structured profile than the Échézeaux, its considerable reserves of concentrated fruit framed by an abundance of powdery tannin and succulent acids. Long and penetrating, this will reward sustained bottle age. The Grands Échézeaux was picked on September 12.

vinous96

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

The 2017 Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru is a pretty big step up in this range, both in terms of depth, power and energy. Here the flavors are dark, while there is quite a bit of tannin lurking beneath. Black cherry, graphite, leather, smoke, spice and menthol infuse the 2017 with tons of virile, somber character. Readers will have to be very patient. A whole range of sepia-toned aromas and flavors shrouded in tannin add depth to an imposing Grands-Echézeaux built for cellaring. Harvest was on September 12.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2017 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked at 41hl/ha on September 12 and bottled on May 21 and 23, 2019. Given 10–15 minutes to open, it is clearly richer on the nose compared to its petit frère, revealing hints of kirsch, red currant and orange pith and subtle loamy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, with suppler tannins than the Echézeaux and hints of wild mint, freshly rolled tobacco and a touch of spice toward the harmonious finish, which fans out effortlessly; it is perhaps less grippy than the 2015. This is an open “G.E.” since it can often be difficult to read just after bottling. It will give enormous pleasure over the next two decades. 1,290 cases produced. Tasted at Corney & Barrow’s annual in-bottle tasting in London.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2017 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, picked on September 12, has a beguiling, pure bouquet of scents of red cherries, wild strawberry and crushed stone, all a little more cohesive than the Echézeaux, with sous-bois scents developing. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, the fruit a little darker than the Echézeaux, with notes of sage and a light tobacco note toward the fresh, quite saline finish. Excellent.

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2017 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru, picked on September 12, has a beguiling, pure bouquet of scents of red cherries, wild strawberry and crushed stone, all a little more cohesive than the Echézeaux, with sous-bois scents developing. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannin, the fruit a little darker than the Echézeaux, with notes of sage and a light tobacco note toward the fresh, quite saline finish. Excellent.