Domaine Henri Jouan – Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Echézeaux 2018 – Burgundy France

Eighty-year-old Pinot Fin on the Gevrey–Morey border, adjoining Charmes-Chambertin, in the warm and generous 2018. From a three-hectare estate that has spent half a century selling most of its wine quietly to Joseph Drouhin.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Gevrey-Chambertin (village), lieu-dit Aux Echézeaux
• Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2018
• Producer: Domaine Henri Jouan
• Winemaker: Philippe Jouan
• Vines: A single parcel of roughly 80-year-old Pinot Fin, adjoining Charmes-Chambertin
• Estate: Just three hectares across ten parcels, vines between 45 and 100 years old
• Vinification: Hand-picked and fully destemmed, short cuvaison of 12 to 14 days with gentle extraction, early malolactic to preserve freshness
• Ageing: François Frères barrels, 25 to 40% new depending on cuvée
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Deep ruby
• Nose: Ripe dark and red fruit with earth, spice and a savoury edge
• Palate: Fuller and rounder than the cooler vintages, with old-vine concentration
• Structure: Ripe tannins, gently extracted
• Finish: Long and savoury

The Jouans have three hectares in ten parcels and no marketing to speak of — Philippe's explanation is that he has too few bottles to bother. His great-grandfather bought the first vines while working as a barrel-maker; the fruit is still pressed on a hundred-year-old wooden press, fully destemmed, given a short twelve-to-fourteen-day cuvaison and put through malolactic early to keep the wines fresh. Aux Echézeaux is a single lieu-dit right against the grand cru boundary, and it consistently drinks above its village classification. 2018's warmth gives it more flesh than usual without blurring the site.

❤️ Why We Love It

• A grand cru neighbour at village prices
• Eighty-year-old Pinot Fin, hand-worked, no chemical inputs
• A ripe vintage from a domaine most people have never heard of

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Roast poultry, duck and game birds
• Beef in red wine sauce
• Mushrooms, truffle and washed-rind cheeses

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Drinkers who want ripeness with old-vine depth underneath
✓ Anyone building a case of something genuinely under the radar
✕ Not ideal if you want the leaner, cooler style of this vineyard