Grands-Echezeaux is a grand cru vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, sandwiched between the Echezeaux and Clos de Vougeot Grand Crus. Despite its name (grand means "large" in French), the site is less than one-third the size of its similarly named neighbor. It is, however, generally considered to be a better quality site than Echezeaux and its wines, made from Pinot Noir, often command higher prices.
© BIVB / MONNIER H.
The climat is in the commune of Flagey-Echezeaux, just north of Vosne-Romanée. Unsually for this part of Burgundy, the village has no premier cru sites – just the two grand cru sites and a handful of village-level climats (although these are bottled under the neighboring Vosne-Romanée title). Grands-Echezeaux is a subdivision of the wider Echezeaux vineyard, and has earned its status as an independent climat and appellation through the sustained quality of its wines.
Unlike in Echezeaux, where the terroir varies considerably across the site, Grands-Echezeaux is reasonably homogenous. The soil here is free-draining, and consists of pebbly limestone with some clay, allowing the vines to grow deep root systems, making for high-quality fruit. The resultant Grands-Echezeaux wines tend to be richer and more structured than those from Echezeaux, and can be aged for many years.
There are more than 20 different owners in Grands-Echezeaux, making it hectare-for-hectare as fragmented as Echezeaux. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti has the largest plot, covering around one-third of the vineyard land. Other producers, like Joseph Drouhin, Rene Engel and Gros Frère et Soeur have very small plots, most covering less than a hectare of the vineyard. This fragmentation is a far cry from Vosne-Romanée's grand cru vineyards, many of which are monopoles.
