What is Échezeaux wine?

Échezeaux is a premium red wine made from the Pinot Noir grape in Burgundy, France. Its name comes from the the specific vineyard in which the grapes are grown, as is common in Burgundy wine.. At this price, we’re not talking just any vineyard, of course. Échezeaux is one of Burgundy’s prestigious Grand Cru vineyards, the highest classification for land in the region.

Grand Cru Burgundy is some of the finest wine in the entire world, and has long interested the sort of wealthy collectors that spend thousands on stocking their wine cellars.

Where is the Échezeaux vineyard?

Understanding Burgundy wine can be complicated at the best of times, so let’s keep it simple: The Échezeaux vineyard is located in the commune of Flagey-Échezeaux, itself located in the Côte de Nuits region. The Côte de Nuits is part of a larger region known as the Côte d’Or, but let’s not worry about that for now. In very basic geographic terms, the Côte de Nuits lies between Dijon and Beaune. It’s the heart of Burgundy’s red wine country.

What makes Échezeaux so special?

Burgundy is legendary (or notorious, depending on your viewpoint!) for its hyper-specific breakdown of vineyard land. The whole region is broken down into tiny, individual parcels, known as “climats”, in a concerted effort to identify the best growing sites. As a Grand Cru vineyard, Échezeaux has been officially recognised as worthy of the very top level. Considering the quality (and price) of Burgundy wines at lesser levels, this is impressive!

The vineyard itself has individual plots, known as lieux-dits, and ownership is divided between more than 80 proprietors. This is quite remarkable when you consider that the vineyard itself is only 37.6 hectares – in Bordeaux, that would be considered a relatively small vineyard for one single château owner. As a result, there really isn’t that much land – or fruit – to go around. The quantities made by any individual owner are tiny, and thus demand far outstrips supply.

To understand why Échezeaux is so special (and a relative bargain), let’s look at its finest wine – that from the mythical Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux

Entire books have been written about the legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Pound for pound, it’s probably the world’s most famous wine producer, and regularly produces the world’s most expensive wine: Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti. That one’ll easily cost you around €15,000.

By comparison, the couple of thousand you’ll pay for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux doesn’t look so bad all of a sudden. You’ve got the same owner, same winemaker and the wines are aged in the same cellars.

If you’re still not sure: We understand. €2,500 is still a lot of money. We don’t blame you if you need a little more convincing. Let’s open up a bottle of Échezeaux wine and see what all the fuss is about.

Tasting Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux 2001

The 2001 vintage in Burgundy was challenging, and even top producers had issues. Aubert de Villaine, co-owner and winemaker at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, managed to produce a range of stunning wines through the sort of attention to detail and meticulous grape sorting the domaine is known for.

• Sight:

  This Échezeaux has a pale ruby colour, indicative of both its age and the Pinot Noir grape variety from which it is produced.

• Smell:

  On the nose, there is delicious blackberry fruit and spice, with some earthy undertones. This wine is only now coming into its drinking window, and over the next few years the earthy aromas will begin to dominate.

• Taste:

  In the mouth, this is medium-bodied and silky. Dark fruit flavours dominate the palate, and the finish is incredibly long and satisfying.

Is it a bargain? Can a wine of this price truly be good value? It’s hard to say, but this is clearly an extraordinary wine. If it’s within your budget, treat yourself!

Buy Domaine de de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux 2001.

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Let’s start with the basics.

What is Colombard?

It’s a grape. More specifically, Colombard is a member of the vitis vinifera species of wine grapes. It’s an offspring of Chenin Blanc and the even lesser known Gouais Blanc. Originally from France, Colombard produces white wines that are relatively neutral in character.

The Colombard grape lacks strong varietal characteristics of its own, so it is used to best effect to create blends with other grapes. Colombard produces a crisp wine with good acidity, making it a versatile blending grape indeed.  

Where does Colombard grow?

Its home is France, though Colombard has also had some success elsewhere.

Colombard in France

In its native France, Colombard is most important not for table wine, but rather for Cognac and Armagnac. Here, the Colombard is grown alongside grapes such as Ugni Blanc to produce the base wines that will be distilled into the luxury Brandies of those regions. It’s also permitted, though rarely seen, as a blending grape in white Bordeaux wine. A number of large supermarket brands, notably Tariquet and JP Chenet, also make inexpensive white wines from Colombard.

Colombard in the USA

Though less significant today, Colombard has enjoyed some serious success in California. It was the region’s premier white grape during the 1980s, known as French Colombard, though its popularity is no longer what it was. Today, most American Colombard is used in inexpensive white blends and jug wines.

Colombard around the world

You’ll find Colombard wine produced in a number of other countries, notably South Africa and Australia. Winemakers in these new world countries tend to produce Colombard wines in a fresh style with pronounced tropical and exotic fruit flavours. In South Africa, they call the grape “Colombar”.

Colombard food and wine pairings

If you’ve got your hands on a bottle of Colombard, you’ve got a surprising number of options when it comes to food and wine pairing. The naturally high acidity in Colombard, combined with the relatively neutral flavour profile, means that Colombard is quite food-friendly indeed. Let’s look at three distinct iterations of Colombard, and a great food match for each.

1. Colombard supermarket blends: Cheap and cheerful

Maybe it’s from the south of France, or from California. Let’s say you’ve got one of those bottom-shelf bottles of Colombard wine and you’re looking for a good food pairing. Do as the French do in this case, and stick with the supermarket theme: Grab a chilled bottle of Colombard (the colder the better if it’s not a particularly good quality wine) and put together a little picnic of cheese, charcuterie and bread. Sit in the sun with good friends and enjoy a cheap and cheerful picnic!

2. Tangy new world Colombard: Keep it simple!

Some South African or Australian Colombard can almost be compared with New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. High levels of acidity and racy, tangy exotic fruit flavours are great with unfussy dishes, with perhaps none better than traditional fish and chips. With plenty of salt and vinegar, this is a tangy delight and the acidic wine will be on hand to clean your palate with each sip!

3. Colombard in Cognac: Decadent duck!

OK, it’s not a wine as such, but perhaps the finest expression of French Colombard is in Cognac. Some will swear by Cognac as an after-dinner digestif, but a young example can be a beautiful match for honey-glazed duck. The aromatics and flavours of both food and drink complement each other wonderfully. It’s not something to have every day, and you’ll want to watch your intake, but what a treat!

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The exclusive production of chablis grand cru

Maturation of Grand Cru and Premier Cru goes hand in hand from generation to generation which is in itself a secret. It normally varies from a producer to producer in the Chablis district. However, it is good to note that the system’s fermentation of chablis grand cru wines somewhat differs from that of white wines. In the Burgundy region, seven locations officially recognised that produces Grand Cru wines, together sprawls over 247 acres of landmass, and one of that overlooks the Chablis district where it is said, the production of chablis grand cru wine takes place.

Chablis grand cru locations

However, INAO-officially-recognized Grand Cru wine sites lie in Bougros, Vaudesir, Les Clos, Blanchot, Les Preuses, and Vaudesir. The production of wines from all these parts is amount to 3 per cent of annual vine production of the Chablis district. Even though styles of each producer influence the taste of wines in that particular location, it is more so with the characteristics of territorial aspects. Many wine experts are on the view that vine produces in Blanchot is the most valued quality which gives out a floral taste. However, the wine from Les Clos also has an essential taste of complicated ingredients while wine from Grenouilles has a punctured herbal taste.

Chablis grand cru: UGCC

Wine expert, Hugh Johnson, once said that chablis grand cru wines contain flavours of that of pleasant aged barrelled wines. In March 2000, the Chablis district saw the establishment of L’Union des Grand Crus de Chablis (UGCC) exclusively with the membership of chablis grand cru wine makers. Their sole purpose is to safeguard the tradition and quality of Grand Cru wine making and its sales. Therefore, the UGCC members must submit their products to an exclusive committee to blind taste and approve that the products comply with the required standard.

Chablis grand cru -Chardonnay grape

They use only Chardonnay grape for producing their vines. The secret of pure taste in the Chablis wine solely lies in simple native methods that regional wine producers employ to produce their wine. The other factor is its terroir factor which is highly chilly. The low temperature helps to preserve the acidity in the soil which in turn gives that exceptional pure taste to regional vines. They taste flinty, and some itemised it as steely. The chablis grand cru is aged for about 15 years which gives its prominent taste and hue to a great extent.

Chablis grand cru’s secrets of pure taste

Today, many international wine brands such as Meursault, Montrachet, and Corton-Charlemagne attempt to take the place of chablis Grand Cru wine. However, the exclusive Grand Cru wines that La Chablisienne Co-operative produces still takes the top most position in the market. Unique climate, regional geographical aspects, unmatched conventional winemaking methods mixed with the modern technologies, and extraordinary pleasant tastes, are the secrets behind its unbeatable position in the market.

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