The Echezeaux is what one expects of Grand Cru burgundy but rarely gets-an explosively rich yet elegant wine that titillates the palate with exotic flavors. When asked why his wines are so consistently great, Jayer simply responds, "I make the kind of wine I like." His wines are aged in 100% new oak, are never filtered, and are bottled directly from the barrel. The excellent color and well-delineated, intense Pinot Noir fruit he gets could well come from his special "cold maceration," which involves totally destemming the grapes after picking and putting them in tanks where they stay before the fermentation starts. Modern oenologists would no doubt be horrified at such a process as the risk of oxidation is high, but never, ever have I tasted a volatile or oxidized bottle of wine from Jayer. As he says, to make great wine, one must assume certain risks. Jayer feels his finest vintages are 1978, 1985, 1980, and 1986. The 1985s are all quite profound, deeply colored, and packed with fruit. They should last and improve until at least 1997-2003. They are more tannic than many other 1985s.

The 1983 Echézeaux Grand Cru from Henri Jayer is a wine that I last tasted back in 2000 in London (although I do recall tasting it once before that). Of course, it was never a great Burgundy vintage although Jayer seemed to be able to overcome such trivial matters in this era. Now at over 30 years old, it has an open and ferrous nose with decayed red fruit, autumn leaves, bay leaf and touch of cedar wood. The palate is fresh on the entry with a touch of cranberry leaf, a little angular with high acidity, crisp and focused yet undeniably rustic and a little frayed at the seams towards the finish. If you stripped off the label, you would call it a very commendable effort for the vintage that has lasted much better than expected. Personally I would consumed bottles in the not too distant future. Tasted September 2016.

The 1982 Echezeaux Grand Cru from Henri Jayer is one of those wines where I am so glad to have been able to assess it over the course of a couple of hours, here, at a splendid lunch in Hong Kong. This mercurial wine commences with a typical 1982 nose: a little diffuse and ferrous, musky with Girolles and black truffle. The palate is nicely balanced but rustic and loose-knit, and over the course of 60 minutes those threads tend to loosen and it feels like it is falling apart. Then it miraculously seems to embroider itself back together, like a ragdoll coming back to life. It gains cohesion, weight and intensity, and by the end of the lunch it is probably drinking better than ever. This is quite an astonishing, cerebral wine. Drink now-2018+. Tasted November 2013.

Sold in barrel and bottled in Switzerland, Henri Jayer's 1969 Echézeaux Grand Cru is drinking beautifully today, delivering aromas of Indian spices, dried cherries, smoked meats, orange rind and plums. Full-bodied, velvety and enveloping, it's lively and layered, with fine depth at the core, powdery tannins and a long, sapid finish. Seamless and complete, it's one of the best balanced 1969 red Burgundies I've tasted recently.