2008 DRC Grands Echezeaux - An Honest Review From a Non-Burg Drinker

[MChang]

very sad to hear. but in the end it probably saves you money.

What i cant understand is that if there is some consensus about the 2008 not being as mind blowing, why does the market price seem to be unaffected by that? I would think that at such a high price point, vintage/ quality variation would cause tremendous variation in the price.

I don’t think 08 is bad but I do think it’s a vintage that needs a bit of time, especially for GE.

[MChang]

for me, GE though pricewise second lowest in the hierarchy after Echezeaux (forgetting the more recent Corton and the occasional premier cru), it takes much more time than Ech, RSV, and sometimes even Richebourg, to strut its stuff. It’s a stern wine. I’m not apologizing for what may be a not so good DRC, just mentioning a little experience. It’s just very young. Sorry you weren’t wowed. Don’t give up on burgundy till you’ve tried a couple 20 year old premier crus.

really? I feel like GE is way more accessible than Ech/RSV/Richebourg nowadays. Since 2014 Corton is def the most accessible. I still find Ech to be the least accessible as the oak is so much less integrated.

Idk, 17 and 18 GE felt pretty tight to me.

[Rich_Brown]

Thanks all - I really appreciate the feedback/expertise! As a few of you mentioned, it’s for sure not the end of the world if Burgundy just doesn’t do it for me. But I’m definitley (to a certain extent) down to keep trying, and agree that a larger event with multiple bottles/producers/vintages would be ideal. Soooo…please don’t exclude me from your next DRC vertical tasting

[Keith_Levenberg]

What i cant understand is that if there is some consensus about the 2008 not being as mind blowing, why does the market price seem to be unaffected by that? I would think that at such a high price point, vintage/ quality variation would cause tremendous variation in the price.

Because you’re paying to drink DRC, not for the vintage. The real question is why people still pay hundreds of dollars for premoxed white burgundy.

[Greg_K]

What i cant understand is that if there is some consensus about the 2008 not being as mind blowing, why does the market price seem to be unaffected by that? I would think that at such a high price point, vintage/ quality variation would cause tremendous variation in the price.

Because you’re paying to drink DRC, not for the vintage. The real question is why people still pay hundreds of dollars for premoxed white burgundy.

No one pays hundreds of dollars of premoxed white burgundy. They pay hundreds of dollars for white burgundy that might be great. Of course, it turns out the OP (or someone who invited him to dinner) paid lots of money for somewhat oxidized red Burgundy.

[Greg_K]

My standard line on DRC is that it’s not magic; it can be great, but can also disappoint - like any other wine. From the Burgundy I occasionally I drink I don’t even find it to be the most consistently excellent. DRC is as capable of having misses as any other producer, especially given the amount of wine they make (it’s a lot!). Far and away my best DRC experience was a 1969 Grand Echezeaux from the cellar of another Burgundy producer, which was a magical wine. I’ve yet to experience a similar high from younger DRC either at smaller events or Paulee-like experiences. So you’re not alone Rich - and I very much like Burgundy!

[Larry_Link]

There is a large stem presence in the ‘08’s.
A good friend in Lyon said that Roch was in the cellar at harvest.
Not sure if that is accurate or not, but if true, I can see the influence.

A recent bottle of the Vosne 1er Cru was very good.

I agree, the stems in both 08 DRC Echezeaux and GE are out of balance with the fruit, the nose is wonderful but the palate is very dry and astringent.

[Anton_D]

Hi Rich,

the cork can look perfect and the wine have some oxidation. The colour looks a bit too brown to me. The GE is as long-lived as any DRC offering and this '08 should show some aromatic development but still be really bright and energetic in the mouth.

Cheers
Jeremy

I wish I would have taken more pics of the wine in glass as I agree the photo looks a bit off. And I’m with ya on the cork not being the end all/be all. But I promise you, I am VERY sensitive to oxidation. Its probably the ‘flaw’ that I despise most in wine. For example, I don’t like Krug because I find it way too oxidative…where I know most peeps disagree.

That said, this wine was not oxidized. It was totally sound. Maybe it just needs more time?? Who knows. No great bottles and all that…

Fluorescent light can make wine look/photograph more bricky.

Could that be it?

Cab LED do it, as well?

[dcornutt]

Unfortunately, when you do taste a correct bottle of DRC that shows the fireworks, there is really nothing like it. It can cost you so much money.

That being said, I can’t really recall a time where I tasted a younger bottle that gave me that experience. We had a 2012 bottle of RSV in Spain that just didn’t show much at all for my 60th in 2018. It was just too young. The 1968 La Rioja Alta Rioja blew the doors off of that wine. It was magical. (Thanks so much to the gracious proprietor who put this by my place when the DRC was served as a sort of gift for my birthday. He said 1968 could sub for 1958. )

PS that glass looks oxidised to me unless your color of your photo is off. It should be a vibrant red color.

[Joseph_Grassa]

What i cant understand is that if there is some consensus about the 2008 not being as mind blowing, why does the market price seem to be unaffected by that? I would think that at such a high price point, vintage/ quality variation would cause tremendous variation in the price.

Because you’re paying to drink DRC, not for the vintage. The real question is why people still pay hundreds of dollars for premoxed white burgundy.

But if quality varies by vintage and you arent paying for the vintage, then you arent paying for quality. That doesnt mean there isnt quality, just that its not connected from the price. Are their any estimates on what portion of DRC sales is to enthusiasts or some like proxy?

Pappy has a problem in the whiskey world, where most of the demand is from people who dont really have anything to compare it to. It is mind blowing to them, but they are comparing it to WSR and Jim Beam. There are plenty of whiskey enthusiasts who have had a similar experience with the older SW juice but with so much to compare it to, their epiphanies I think were more representative of quality and so are the prices. There was a bar where young wealthy kids would go and buy each bottle of pappy to take shots. They drove the price up, but obviously that was not related to quality, nor did it diminish the quality that was actually present.

I am wondering if it is similar with DRC

[Rich_Brown]

My standard line on DRC is that it’s not magic; it can be great, but can also disappoint - like any other wine. From the Burgundy I occasionally I drink I don’t even find it to be the most consistently excellent. DRC is as capable of having misses as any other producer, especially given the amount of wine they make (it’s a lot!). Far and away my best DRC experience was a 1969 Grand Echezeaux from the cellar of another Burgundy producer, which was a magical wine. I’ve yet to experience a similar high from younger DRC either at smaller events or Paulee-like experiences. So you’re not alone Rich - and I very much like Burgundy!

Makes me feel a little better Greg

Cheers bud!

[Rich_Brown]

Hi Rich,

the cork can look perfect and the wine have some oxidation. The colour looks a bit too brown to me. The GE is as long-lived as any DRC offering and this '08 should show some aromatic development but still be really bright and energetic in the mouth.

Cheers
Jeremy

I wish I would have taken more pics of the wine in glass as I agree the photo looks a bit off. And I’m with ya on the cork not being the end all/be all. But I promise you, I am VERY sensitive to oxidation. Its probably the ‘flaw’ that I despise most in wine. For example, I don’t like Krug because I find it way too oxidative…where I know most peeps disagree.

That said, this wine was not oxidized. It was totally sound. Maybe it just needs more time?? Who knows. No great bottles and all that…

Fluorescent light can make wine look/photograph more bricky.

Could that be it?

Cab LED do it, as well?

Yep, LED lights. Luckily no fluorescent in our kitchen

[Rich_Brown]

Unfortunately, when you do taste a correct bottle of DRC that shows the fireworks, there is really nothing like it. It can cost you so much money.

That being said, I can’t really recall a time where I tasted a younger bottle that gave me that experience. We had a 2012 bottle of RSV in Spain that just didn’t show much at all for my 60th in 2018. It was just too young. The 1968 La Rioja Alta Rioja blew the doors off of that wine. It was magical. (Thanks so much to the gracious proprietor who put this by my place when the DRC was served as a sort of gift for my birthday. He said 1968 could sub for 1958. )

PS that glass looks oxidised to me unless your color of your photo is off. It should be a vibrant red color.

Thanks Don! Sounds unanimous that it was probably too young. Here’s to hoping I get to try one with more age at some point!

And I wish I had more photos of the wine in the glass. A bad picture for sure. It didn’t look nearly as bricked in real life.

[EvanLodes]

My standard line on DRC is that it’s not magic; it can be great, but can also disappoint - like any other wine. From the Burgundy I occasionally I drink I don’t even find it to be the most consistently excellent. DRC is as capable of having misses as any other producer, especially given the amount of wine they make (it’s a lot!). Far and away my best DRC experience was a 1969 Grand Echezeaux from the cellar of another Burgundy producer, which was a magical wine. I’ve yet to experience a similar high from younger DRC either at smaller events or Paulee-like experiences. So you’re not alone Rich - and I very much like Burgundy!

agreed with this - for people who are fortunate enough to have had aged Burgundy in great condition, with younger vintages you think a lot about what it can become, which is almost always greater than it is young. This is not unique to DRC. If you have the financial ability and patience/discipline not to touch, and it is an actuarily sound decision to do so, lay some down and Future You will be very grateful.

[Keith_Levenberg]

But if quality varies by vintage and you arent paying for the vintage, then you arent paying for quality. That doesnt mean there isnt quality, just that its not connected from the price.

um, yeah. If you think you’re paying for the quality of the wine rather than the cachet of a luxury collectible, see how much you can get for a bottle with half the label scraped off.

[Joseph_Grassa]

But if quality varies by vintage and you arent paying for the vintage, then you arent paying for quality. That doesnt mean there isnt quality, just that its not connected from the price.

um, yeah. If you think you’re paying for the quality of the wine rather than the cachet of a luxury collectible, see how much you can get for a bottle with half the label scraped off.

Just bought an older Wild Turkey 8/101 that was about $600-650 value. Less than an ounce of leakage. I bought it for $400. I love finding those deals!

[MChang]

Unfortunately, when you do taste a correct bottle of DRC that shows the fireworks, there is really nothing like it. It can cost you so much money.

That being said, I can’t really recall a time where I tasted a younger bottle that gave me that experience. We had a 2012 bottle of RSV in Spain that just didn’t show much at all for my 60th in 2018. It was just too young. The 1968 La Rioja Alta Rioja blew the doors off of that wine. It was magical. (Thanks so much to the gracious proprietor who put this by my place when the DRC was served as a sort of gift for my birthday. He said 1968 could sub for 1958. )

PS that glass looks oxidised to me unless your color of your photo is off. It should be a vibrant red color.

10s are pretty spectacular right now; I have had rsv, LT, and rc in the last two years and they are among the best burgs I’ve drink regardless of age.

[Peter_Chiu]

My standard line on DRC is that it’s not magic; it can be great, but can also disappoint - like any other wine. From the Burgundy I occasionally I drink I don’t even find it to be the most consistently excellent. DRC is as capable of having misses as any other producer, especially given the amount of wine they make (it’s a lot!). Far and away my best DRC experience was a 1969 Grand Echezeaux from the cellar of another Burgundy producer, which was a magical wine. I’ve yet to experience a similar high from younger DRC either at smaller events or Paulee-like experiences. So you’re not alone Rich - and I very much like Burgundy!

I am with Greg here… .

Very poor QPR…is the important other print if you are thinking …to open them and to drink them for enjoyment only.

…and I very much like Burgundy!

[lucaslabelle]

As stated the colour looks really off… maybe some damage… Could have also been an off bottle. Either way thanks for posting and hope you get to try a truly pristine bottle one day that shines.

Cheers,

Lucas

[Rich_Brown]

As stated the colour looks really off… maybe some damage… Could have also been an off bottle. Either way thanks for posting and hope you get to try a truly pristine bottle one day that shines.

Cheers,

Lucas

Thank you!

I’m telling you though, the bottle was not off…it just didn’t blow my mind. And bad picture for sure - it didn’t look that bricked in real life. Hopefully I’ll get to try another with more age someday