2014 Philippe Pacalet Echezeaux

Philippe Pacalet was an estate manager for Domaine Prieure Roch until 1999, when he decided to rent small vineyard parcels in Beaune and make his own wines. Today he makes wine entirely on his own and has very limited production. He makes a variety wines, including Grand Cru Charmes Chambertin, and Premier Cru Meursault, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard and Saint-Aubin. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that to taste these wines “is a revelation. No one seriously interested in Burgundy should neglect this experience.”

Echezeaux is a 93-acre Grand Cru vineyard on the southern edge of the Cote de Nuits. It up the slope from Clos de Vougeot and Grands Echezeaux and is one of the largest grand crus in Burgundy. The vineyard varies in elevation from 250 to 300 meters, and the terroir includes significant clay as well as thin, rocky soil. The largest proprietors are Domaine de la Romanee Conti, with 11.68 acres; Mongeard-Mugneret with 6.25 acres, and Emmanuel-Rouget, with 3.58 acres. Echezeaux produces red wine.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.