Echezeaux Grand Cru 1983 - J. Calvet

Echezeaux Grand Cru 1983 - J. Calvet & Co

Presentation by J. Calvet:

J. Calvet is a Bordeaux wine merchant and breeder founded in 1818. There are many very fine Bordeaux vintages and some rare Burgundies.

The house became a major player in the Burgundy wine trade in the 1880s when it created a subsidiary in Beaune.

Presentation of the vintage:

Located between Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot, the grand cru "Echezeaux" extends over 36.12 hectares for an annual production of around 160,000 bottles (which is not enough to satisfy global demand).

Les Échezeaux offer diverse soils composed mainly of Bajocian marl with a stony covering. They are arranged according to the Climats from 230 to 300 meters above sea level (13% slope at mid-slope). In the upper part, we find deep soils of 70 to 80 centimeters. There, Cailloutis, red silts and yellowish marls constitute a fairly complex mosaic giving each plot its own typicality.

The 1983 vintage in Echézeaux: Hail and rarity

The growing season began with a dreadful, cold and rainy spring. Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée experienced severe hailstorms that destroyed part of the crop. Good weather in June allowed for successful budburst and flowering. Fortunately, the warm, sunny weather continued throughout July and August until heavy, not entirely unwelcome, rains broke out and rehydrated the vines. The cloudy weather that set in as harvest approached inevitably slowed ripening and the wet conditions raised concerns about rot, particularly in Gevrey-Chambertin. Fortunately, most of the grapes were harvested without too many problems.

The resulting wines varied in quality, with most appellations facing challenges. Quality faltered in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny, where hail hit hardest early in the season.

However, the reds from the Côte de Beaune were quite good and the wines from the Côte de Nuits were truly excellent, the best of which had structure and rich fruit.

Overall, the 1983 Burgundy vintage is not legendary, but some excellent wines were produced. In general, both reds and whites favored muscle and intense fruit over elegance.