Terroir View: Domaine Robert Sirugue Grands Echezeaux

Grands Echezeaux is experiencing a revival, with producers like Georges Noëllat, Coquard-Loison-Fleurot, Jean-Marc Millot and Domaine Robert Sirugue improving quality in this appellation, after Domaine de la Romanée-Conti also took some impressive leaps forward quality-wise with its Grands Echezeaux.

In this article, I will take a closer look at the Grands Echezeaux from Domaine Robert Sirugue, one of the rising talents with the top vine from this delightful vineyard.

Arnaud Sirugue and Daniel Wilmotte of Domaine Robert Sirugue

Climat and location

The Grands Echezeaux vineyard is located just above Clos de Vougeot and below the center climats of Echezeaux: Les Poulailleres and Echezeaux du Dessus.

Photo: The DRC Grands Echezeaux seen from the bottom of the vineyard overlooking Echezeaux (source – Google).

The total area of Grands Echezeaux is 9.14 ha, and Domaine de la Romanee-Conti owns 3.53 ha, equivalent to almost 40% of the vineyard.

The other owners today are the following estates (source – The Pearl of the Côte ⁴⁾:

• Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – 3.53 ha
• Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret – 1.4440 ha
• Domaine Thenard – 0.54 ha
• Domaine d’Eugenie – 0.50 ha
• Maison Joseph Drouhin – 0.47 ha
• Maison Henri de Villamont – 0.43 ha
• Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur – 0.3662 ha
• Domaine Desaunay-Bissey – 0.34 ha
• Domaine Lamarche – 0.3007 ha
• Domaine Georges Noëllat – 0.30 ha
• Domaine Clos Frantin – 0.25 ha
• Domaine Jean-Marc-Millot – 0.2015 ha
• Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot – 0.18 ha
• Domaine Robert Sirugue – 0.1205 ha

The ownership history of Grands Echezeaux

As with many other vineyards in the area, Grands Echezeaux was for centuries owned by the abbey of Citeaux, but was sold off during or after the French Revolution. According to Gert Crum,⁵ the Marey family acquired Grands Echezeaux after the Revolution.

Lavalle¹ mentions Duveaux (Duvault) as one of the owners in 1855 – thus indicating that the predecessors/ancestors of the current DRC owners had already acquired at least some of its plots when Lavalle wrote his book. Marey is not mentioned as an owner by Lavalle, and it is, therefore, likely that they sold off the vineyard in pieces, including the plot to Duvault.

Lavalle mentions the following owners in 1855:

• MM. Duveaux
• Chanut
• Royer-Duvergey
• de Bahezre
• Gillotte
• Marillier

In Danguy & Aubertin² (1892), Duvaux was mentioned again amongst the six owners of Grands Echezeaux, along with the following:

• Dr. Chanut
• Dufouleur
• Duvaux
• Faiveley-Fermouche
• Mongeard
• Rasse

Mongeard, mentioned by Danguy & Aubertin as an owner, has kept this position until today.

Finally, Rodier³ (1920) mentioned de Villaine and Chambon as owners, thus confirming the DRC ownership. Rodier’s noted owners are below:

In the Rodier listing, we also find Gros, Lamarche, and Grivelet-Modot. (Presumably, the Grivelet plot was sold to Bichot in connection with the Clos Frantin deal.) Interestingly, Rodier does not mention Mongeard amongst the owners in 1920, but presumably, Mongeard had its share even in 1920.