Echezeaux Grand Cru

Beef, Veal, Game (deer, venison), Poultry

Charles makes no secret of being a disciple of Lalou BizeLeroy, leaving the vines' shoots to grow longer than usual, in tune with their natural vigour. “We don’t want to be traditional; we don’t want to be modern.” The estate is 14.5 hectares, all planted to Pinot Noir, spread over six villages and 15 terroirs. These comprise four Grands crus, five premiers crus, five villages and a regional level wine, the excellent ‘Pinot Fin’.

For the whole cluster he just puts the grapes into the vat (the size will vary by the plot). After this, fermentation starts, and there’s no recipe for how this is managed: it is judged by taste. Usually, the wine is pressed off after 10-11 days, so there’s no cold pre-soak or post-ferment maceration. A mixture of foot treading, punching down and pumping over is used.

The name Arnoux has been a feature in Vosne Romanée since the mid-19th century. Since the early 1990s Robert Arnoux's son-in-law Pascal Lachaux has been running the estate and in 2009 Pascal and Florence have at long last made the subtle change in the naming of the Domaine. Pascal has indeed proved himself to be a hugely talented winemaker and his drive and ambition have ensured that the Domaine is now regarded amongst the top tier in Vosne-Romanée.