Echezeaux Grand Cru 1983 - J. Calvet

Echezeaux Grand Cru 1983 - J. Calvet & Co

Presentation by J. Calvet:

J. Calvet is a Bordeaux wine merchant founded in 1818. There are many very beautiful Bordeaux vintages and some rare Burgundies. The house became an important player in the Burgundy wine trade in the 1880s when it created a subsidiary in Beaune.

Presentation of the Echezeaux Grand cru:

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

Les Échezeaux offers various soils composed mainly of Bajocian marl with a stony coating. Depending on the climate, they range from 230 to 300 meters above sea level (13% slope at mid-slope). In the upper part we find soils 70 to 80 centimeters deep. There des Cailloutis, red silts and yellowish marls constitute a fairly complex mosaic giving each plot its typicality.

The 1983 vintage in Echézeaux: Hail and rarity

The growing season started with a dreadful, cold and rainy spring. Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée experienced violent hailstorms which destroyed part of the harvest. The good weather in June allowed bud break and successful flowering. Fortunately, the warm, sunny weather continued throughout July and August until heavy, not entirely unwelcome, rain broke out and rehydrated the vines. The cloudy weather which set in as the harvest approached inevitably slowed down ripening and the humid conditions raised fears of rot, particularly in Gevrey-Chambertin. Fortunately, most of the raisins were sold without much problem.

The resulting wines varied in quality, with most appellations having a challenge. Quality faltered in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny, where hail hit hardest at the start of the season.

However, the Côte de Beaune reds were quite good and the Côte de Nuits wines were really 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, reds and whites favored muscle and intense fruit over elegance.