The lightest of Faiveley's grand crus, the 1991 Echezeaux exhibits attractive toasty, vanillin oak notes, along with weedy black-raspberry and black-cherry fruit. Medium-bodied, with lovely ripeness and moderately sweet tannins, this elegant, stylish Echezeaux should be drunk in its first 10-11 years of life. Faiveley enjoyed success in 1991, producing deeply colored, powerful, noticeably tannic wines. These are not wines to consume early, but rather to cellar for several years while the tannins melt away. I do not foresee any difficulty with most of these wines drying out because of excessive tannin as they possess the concentration of fruit necessary to support the tannin.
NOTES ON THE 1992s FROM BARREL: Faiveley's 1992s are not as rich or intense as the 1991s. They are made in a soft, accessible, fruity style that consumers will be able to enjoy immediately.
Importers: Ideal Wines & Spirits, Medford, MA and Henry Cavalier Selections, Boulder, CO.