Echezeaux 2014 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti OC

A wonderfully complex nose features a broad array of spice elements with those of plum, violet, sandalwood and Asian-style tea that are also trimmed in soft wood nuances. There is good punch to the refined, cool and pure medium-bodied flavors that possess better concentration on the balanced, persistent and youthfully austere finale where the only nit is a very subtle hint of warmth. Of all of the wines in the Domaine’s portfolio, in my view the Ech is the most improved over the last 10 years and it shows as the 2014 is bigger and more powerful than usual.

The 2014 Echézeaux Grand Cru was picked on 24, 25 and 26 September at 27.8 hectoliters per hectare. It offers an expressive bouquet, more vivacious than the 2012 Echézeaux, with scents of black plum, raspberry preserve and subtle limestone aromas. It unfolds with confidence in the glass. The palate is surprisingly structured on the entry, perhaps with ambitions towards its elder brother, the Grands Echézeaux. There is a gentle, slightly leafy quality to this Grand Cru, perhaps more masculine and reserved than other vintages tasted just after bottling. The aftertaste feels long with a cheeky pinch of black pepper. Probably one of the most approachable 2014s from the domaine, and just as likely to be drunk too young! 1,443 cases produced.