(Originally published 20 February 2017.)
Étienne Grivot said that harvesting began on 10 September and went to about 18 September. He waited to harvest because the grapes up to then had a bitterness in them.
Étienne Grivot said that harvesting began on 10 September and went to about 18 September. He waited to harvest because the grapes up to then had a bitterness in them.
A normal vintage here is 300 barrels; in 2015 it was 240 barrels (and in 2016, it is but 200 barrels).
Étienne described the vintage as classic/modern. The bunches were entirely destemmed but the berries were kept whole. Malolactic fermentations were very late — among the latest ever that he has experienced, which is saying something given that over the 30 years that I have been visiting this estate, there have been many vintages where I tasted wines where malolactic fermentations still had not finished by October or November.
Grivot is a consistently reliable and outstanding producer, and fans will have nothing but pleasure with these wines.
2015 Vosne-Romanée
The Vosne has a smooth texture and good length with dark fruit and medium weight. (88-92)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Charmois
From a fairly cold terroir above the village of Nuits, this wine is elegant and medium-weight with a smooth texture and juicy red fruits with good length. The wine shows excellent ripeness and freshness. (90-94)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Roncière
Grivot’s Nuits-Roncière has fresh, spicy dark fruit that is ripe, but not overripe. The tannins here are very smooth and the wine is very accessible at this point. (91-94)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
The Boudots has the smooth texture typical of the vineyard with length and power. A promising wine. Following the vintage, Grivot ripped out about half the vineyard — vines older than 1928, and the bare spot makes an impressive sight on the slope. (91-94)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulées
Grivot’s Vosne-Brulées is very precise and mineral with red fruits — especially strawberry and red currant — and length, finesse, and smoothness. (92-96)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
The Beaux Monts is intense with dark fruit and minerality plus good penetration. This wine is broader and more elegant than the Brulées and shows harmony along with a silky texture. (92-96)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
The Suchots has a beautiful smooth texture, recalling Volnay-Caillerets in the way it falls off the tongue. The fruit here is dark but rather restrained for the moment. (91-95)
2015 Clos Vougeot
Grivot’s Clos Vougeot has moved in the direction of more finesse in recent vintages without sacrificing the power of Clos Vougeot. The wine is dense, pure, and focused with dark fruit. There’s good freshness here, too. (93-96)
2015 Échézeaux
In the past, there were a number of vintages where I thought the Échézeaux to be the best wine in Grivot’s cellar, although for the last several vintages, the Richebourg has taken its rightful place. With 2015, I’m not sure, and the difference is quite slim. The malolactic here was among the first in the cellar to finish. The wine shows iron, minerality, intensity, and penetration to go with its sensuality and dark fruit. A superb wine. (94-97)
2015 Richebourg
In contrast to the Échézeaux, the Richebourg was late to finish its malolactic fermentation — only during the harvest in 2016. This wine is dense, deep, and powerful with finesse of the vintage and dark fruit. There’s overall calmness and notable length. In short, plenty of promise here. (93-97)