© BIVB / IBANEZ A.
Flagey-Echezeaux is a small, often-forgotten commune in the Cote de Nuits district of Burgundy. An unfortunate distance of 1.25 miles (2km) between the village and its vineyards is the reason for its relative oblivion, and also results in its commune-level and Premier Cru wines being sold under the appellation of its more-famous neighbor, Vosne-Romanee. While this might sound like a miniscule distance on which to base such a decision, it is entirely in keeping with the fine-grained and complex nature of Burgundy's appellation system.
An additional consequence of the village's physical separation from its vines is that its famous Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru sites are often mistakenly thought to be in Vosne-Romanee. This not only adds to the already stellar reputation of the Vosne-Romanee name, but leaves Flagey-Echezeaux as a footnote in most studies and reviews of Burgundy wines. As it happens, Flagey-Echezeaux's Grand Crus cover nearly twice the surface area of those which lie just across the commune boundary.
Originally named Flagey, the village adopted the suffix Echezeaux in the late 19th century in honor of its prized vineyard. This name change was very much the fashion among Burgundy's top wine villages at the time; more-famous examples include Puligny-Montrachet and Gevrey-Chambertin.
There has never been a Flagey-Echezeaux appellation as such. Its non-Grand Cru wines are sold as Vosne-Romanee or under the generic regional appellation Bourgogne.
