Terroir View: Hospice de Beaune, Echezeaux du Dessus “Jean-Luc Bissey”

Hospice de Beaune have some quite prominent vineyards, and one is the relatively new Echezeaux du Dessus.

The Hospice wines are getting increasingly expensive like most other Burgundies, and the Echezeaux is one of the most costly wines these days – together with the Clos de la Roche and Mazis-Chambertin cuvées.

… still recall that I bought the Mazis-Chambertin from Hospice de Beaune for around 25 Euro in the 1993 vintage … those were indeed the days.

But lets take a look at the Hospice de Beaune holdings in Echezeaux.

The Echezeaux cuvée Jean-Luc Bissey

The Echezeaux cuvée Jean-Luc Bissey is one of the relatively new cuvées. The vineyard was a gift made in 2011 by Monsieur Jean-Luc Bissey, whose family has been cultivating vines in the region for four generations.

He thus maintains the great tradition of Burgundian generosity. About the location of the plot it’s written – the vines are located in the climat of Les Echezeaux du Dessus, where the land becomes sightly sloping, towards “Les Rouges du Bas”. They were planted by Monsieur Bissey’s father around 1945, following his return the war. First vintage of the Hospice de Beaune cuvée Echezeaux Cuvée was 2012.

Surely this is a fine location, however this plot is actually a plot of Echezeaux du Dessus – that is located inside the area called Les Rouges du Bas!

The climates of Echézeaux

Echézeaux includes 11 climates, and cover 35.26 ha. Echézeaux is located between Chambolle and Vosne-Romanee and above Clos de Vougeot – see map below.

Click on the map to see a larger image.

The 11 climates on Echézeaux are:

1. Echézeaux du Dessus
2. Les Poulailléres
3. En Orveau
4. Les Champs Traversins
5. Les Rouges du Bas
6. Les Beaux Monts Bas
7. Les Loächausses
8. Les Cruots ou Vigne Blanches
9. Clos St. Denis
10. Les Treux
11. Les Quartieres de Nuits

As mentioned above the cuvée Echezeaux Jean-Luc Bissey is a part of Echezeaux du Dessus (1) but actually located within the area Les Rouges du Bas (5).

Echézeaux du Dessus – historical size of the climate

The climate Echézeaux du Dessus (1) is located in the very center of the Echézeaux vineyard just above Grands Echézeaux.

The eleven climates today included in Echézeaux were considered more as separate vineyards historically. The climate names can be found already in the first cadastre maps from 1827, where Echézeaux du Dessus had almost the same borders and area as the current climate in Echézeaux – see cadastre map below.

Click on the map to see a larger image.

Moving forward to 1855 Lavalle¹ mention Echézeaux du Dessus as premiere cru, and among the best vineyards in Flagey-Echézeaux. The area of Echézeaux du Dessus was according to Lavalle 3 ha 55 ares 30 cent in 1855 – almost identical to the current area.

The extra plot in the current cadastre

There seem to be a consistent picture of the size and borders of Echézeaux du Dessus until one take a very close look at the current cadastre data.

These data include one extra plot located above the vineyard … a plot otherwise believed (by me at least) to be a part of Les Rouges du Bas. This plot is not located within Echézeaux du Dessus on the cadaste map itself, but in the information about this plot found in the cadastre it’s now considered to be a part of Echézeaux du Dessus – see below.

This is not fully not consistent with most maps I have seen, and this plot would also increase the total area Echezeaux du Dessus beyond the official numbers 3.55 ha.

The map below show the extra plot that cadastre data say belongs to Echézeaux du Dessus.

Click on the map to see a larger image.

The plots between “cadastre no 510” and the main part of Echézeaux du Dessus is listed as a part of Les Rouges du Bas (and under the Arnoux-Lachaux ownership), and therefore we have two sections of Echézeaux du Dessus according to the current cadastre data.

The orphan plot 510 was in 2011 donated to Hospice de Beaune by Jean-Luc Bissey and according to my informations where Mongeard-Mugneret produced the Echézeaux Vieilles Vignes until the 2011 vintage.

The total area of the identified plots on Echézeaux du Dessus is 4.0043 ha with the extra plot 510 and 3.563 ha without orphan plot .. i.e. very close to the size Lavalle¹ quoted in his 1855 book.

Wines from Echézeaux du Dessus

While the “expansion” of Echezeaux du Dessus looks kind of strange, the quality of the Hospice de Beaune plot is however very fine, and some fine Echezeaux’s have been made from this plot.

No wonder as the Hospices de Beaune Echezeaux Cuvee Jean-Luc Bissey is made from the plot that for years supplied grapes for the Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Vieilles Vignes.

To the wine in the glas – the Hospice de Beaune Echezeaux Jean-Luc Bissey 2013 .. the nose is offering fine complex red and dark berry fruit spiced with violets and a hint of toasted oak – quite floral. On the palate medium weight – harmonious with a juicy and quite energetic mid-palate fruit. The oak is quite well integrated but still a bit forward .. nevertheless allowing a fine complexity already at this stage. It’s one of the best Hospice de Beaune wines I have tasted in recent years .. a very fine Echezeaux in the making.

(Drink from 2026) – Very Fine – (93- 94p) – Tasted 07/06/2016

References & Sources:

1. Jules Lavalle, Histoire et Statistique de la Vignes et Des Grands Vins de la Côte d’Or (1855)
2. M.R. Danguy et M. Ch. Aubertin, Les Grands Vins de Bourgogne (1892)
3. Camille Rodier, Le Vin de Bourgogne (1920)
4. Allen D. Meadows, The Pearl of the Côte (2010)
5. Hospices de Beaune – Echézeaux cuvee Jean-Luc Bissey

Tasting Notes for this vineyard

• Cécile Tremblay, Echezeaux 2014 May 24, 2016
• Domaine Jayer-Gilles, Echezeaux 1999 March 1, 2016
• Domaine Jayer-Gilles, Echezeaux 2002 June 6, 2015
• Cecile Tremblay, Echezeaux 2012 May 19, 2014
• Cecile Tremblay, Echezeaux 2011 May 18, 2014
• Domaine Jayer-Gilles, Echezeaux 2002 October 31, 2013

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Tasting Notes for this producer

• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Romanee-Saint-Vivant 2008 May 23, 2018
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Romanée Saint-Vivant 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Latriciere Chambertin 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Echezeaux 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Clos de Vougeot 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Procès 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de Corvees Pagets 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Poisets 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanée Maizieres Hautes 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Chambolle-Musigny 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanée 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Bourgogne Pinot Fin 2015 July 11, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Romanee-Saint-Vivant 2014 February 13, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Romanee-Saint-Vivant 2006 January 10, 2017
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne-Romanee Aux Reignots 2008 December 18, 2014
• Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Romanee-Saint-Vivant 2008 February 19, 2013

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