Domaine Jean Grivot has been in Vosne-Romanee since the late eighteenth century, and among the commune's finest addresses for much of that time. Etienne Grivot took over from his father Jean in 1987 and spent the decades that followed refining both vineyard and cellar with the kind of steady, unspectacular dedication that serious Burgundy demands. His daughter Mathilde has led the domaine since 2017, son Hubert alongside her, with Etienne still present. The continuity shows. These remain among the most precise and characterful wines in the Cote de Nuits.
The estate runs to around fifteen and a half hectares across twenty-two appellations, centred on Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges, with grand cru holdings in Clos de Vougeot, Echezeaux and Richebourg. Vines average forty-five to fifty years of age and are farmed without chemicals, with grass cover and horse-drawn plough used to preserve soil structure. Grapes are fully destemmed, fermentations are spontaneous, elevage is handled with restraint and a mix of cooperages, and wines are bottled without filtration, guided by the lunar calendar. A modest level of new oak sits quietly in the background. Grivot's own description of the house style is apt: somewhere between classic and modern, with an emphasis on balance between energy and texture.
2022 was warm and generous but the Grivots did not rush it. They waited until the sixth of September to begin harvest, later than most of their neighbours, and dropped fruit in certain parcels to ensure full phenolic ripeness rather than simply chasing volume after three lean years. The decision paid off. Alcohols are moderate, tannins are fine and supple, and the wines carry a natural balance that warm vintages do not always deliver. Early reduction is present in some bottles, as it often is at Grivot, and resolves quickly with air. Neal Martin, writing for Vinous, describes the range as harmonious and refined rather than showy, immediately pleasurable yet comfortably capable of evolving for fifteen to twenty years.
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