Domaine Jean Grivot – Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaux Monts 2002 – Burgundy France

Les Beaux Monts lies upslope from Échézeaux and is separated from Richebourg by nothing more than the narrow Les Brûlées — grand cru neighbours on both sides. This is the 2002, one of the most admired red Burgundy vintages of its decade, now fully mature.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaux Monts
• Region: Côte de Nuits, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2002
• Producer: Domaine Jean Grivot
• Winemaker: Étienne Grivot
• Estate: 15.5 hectares across 22 appellations, including Clos de Vougeot, Échézeaux and Richebourg
• Soil: Marl and clay, with a more southerly exposure than its neighbours
• Farming: Organic in practice but uncertified, with no chemical treatments
• Vinification: Entirely destemmed, a short cold maceration of a day or two, spontaneous fermentation, one pump-over a day, malolactic in barrel
• Ageing: 15 months in barrel, with roughly 30 to 40% new oak for the premiers crus
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Medium ruby well into garnet
• Nose: Red berries, herbs and purple flowers, with the forest floor and truffle notes of age
• Palate: Medium-weight and layered, the fruit now giving way to savoury complexity
• Structure: Fine tannins, largely resolved, with the bright acidity 2002 is known for
• Finish: Long and persistent

The domaine is one of the established names of Vosne-Romanée, built up over generations to 15.5 hectares spread across twenty-two appellations. Étienne Grivot took over from his father Jean in 1987 and made this wine; his daughter Mathilde succeeded him in 2017. The approach is deliberately unshowy — fruit fully destemmed, a cold soak of only a day or two, wild yeasts, a single daily pump-over, and fifteen months in barrel. Beaux Monts is among the largest of the Vosne premiers crus and one of the most highly regarded, and its marl and clay with a southerly tilt give it a character distinct from the crus around it. At twenty-three years old, this is a wine to open rather than keep.

❤️ Why We Love It

• A premier cru sitting between Échézeaux and Richebourg
• A celebrated vintage, now fully mature and ready
• Three bottles, from the Étienne Grivot era

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Herb-crusted rack of lamb
• Wild mushroom tart, truffle and root vegetables
• Roast game birds and aged cheeses

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Drinkers who want mature Vosne premier cru ready to pour
✓ Anyone who prefers savoury, tertiary Burgundy to primary fruit
✕ Not a bottle to lay down further