A 2013 Barrel Tasting at Domaine Fourrier

[I and friends visited Domaine Fourrier in June 2014 and posted this tasting story on wineberserkers.com, that I am now posting here].

Our thanks to Maison Vauron, Auckland for organising our visit to Domaine Fourier.

Jean-Marie Fourrier was busy in the vineyards on the day we visited and Vicki very ably took us through this tasting, entirely of 2013s in barrel. These where either entering malolactic fermentation, right in the middle of it, or just finished. This made it a bit of a game of Russian roulette for her, in removing the bungs.

The Domaine has only 10 ha of vines - and produces 14 Domaine wines - from four Villages. The Domaine is lucky to have mostly 60-100 year old, low yielding vines, typically producing millerandage (small berries).

Fourrier does not typically do green harvest, using strict pruning and debudding. He is a non-interventionist winemaker, trying to avoid any vigneron marker, and let the terroirs speak. He is not full biodynamic but uses no herbicides if he can avoid them.

He has a single vineyard philosophy. Goulots, Champeaux and Combe Aux Moines were previously blended until he took over the house.

His winemaking technique is uniform across the range. He typically uses 20% new oak for all of the wines and gentle 100% destemming (which therefore probably ends up at about 5% stems, Vicki said).

Fourrier does not rack or fine or filtrate wines. He tries to minimise the use of sulphur.

Fourrier now also has a small negociant business, of which we tasted one wine.

2013 was a difficult vintage for Fourrier; they picked very late, from 3 October. They left the grapes out as late as they could for additional ripeness. This allowed the acidity to drop from 7 mg per litre to 5 mg but then the rot came. They used 80 pickers and pulled the fruit in within five days. Eliminating the rot meant that they had 30-40% less wine than is typical (but slightly more than in 2012).

As Vicki said, with the rot eliminated, what remains of the 2013s has good balance and acidity. We agreed. These 2013s are outstanding wines, although our barrel samples were often affected by where the wines were in the malo process.

Just to add, very early days obviously, but 2014 is looking potentially like a good, 'normal' vintage, according to Vicki. Flowering has gone very well.

To the wines ...

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Bright red colour. Nose showing malo reduction and vivid strawberry notes. Crystalline and pure on the palate with expressive, bright berry fruit flavours, particularly strawberries. A strong acid backbone and fine, small grained tannins.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Colour considerably darker red. Reduction less on bouquet than previously, showing finer red berries and some plums. In the mouth, less acids than previously. Layers of lovely, ripe and pure red berry flavours. Also, more structure to support the fruit, and suave tannins. A classy wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  This wine from 1929 and 1940 vines. The wine was in vigorous malo. Aromas of fresh raspberries and red cherries beneath the reduction. A more substantial wine than the Chambolle-Musignys. A cooler, more precise expression. A wine of bright red berry flavours, particularly raspberries and red cherries, with well balanced acids. Good length.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Bright, clean colour. On the nose a melange of red and black fruits and some (malo-related) chocolate notes. In the mouth, fresh, vibrant and very intense with gorgeous acids. Darker fruit than the previous wines. An iron fist in a velvet glove. Elegant but powerful. Very suave tannins.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Goulots Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Planted in 1940. In malo. Crimson colour. A nose of bright red fruit, raspberries and red cherries. On palate, a cool, dark fruited expression. Gorgeous, a very fine wine with good structure, real intensity and a thread of minerality across the palate.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Planted in 1919, normally Fourrier has four barrels of this wine, but I could only count three here! Vibrant colour. A lifted, complex bouquet of fresh, pure red fruit, with a little citrus rind. In the mouth, very silky and caressing. Crystalline and pure red berry fruit at the front of the palate, minerals and chalk at the back.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  A favourite wine of mine. Planted in 1929 and 1940. Bright garnet. Strawberries, raspberries, red cherries and some cranberry on bouquet, a lovely nose. On palate, very fresh and elegant with beautiful, ripe fruit. Perfect extraction, precise and focused with sparkling acidity and very fine grained tannins. But, as is typical for this label, this wine needs time. It is large scaled, with serious structure. Another excellent example.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Vicki mentioned the beautiful millerandage grapes from which this CSJ was made. The vineyard was planted in 1910. The CSJ was in the middle of heavy malo. A bouquet of violets and other dark flowers, extraordinarily perfumed, but with fruit aromas as well. Notes of red and black berry fruit, across the spectrum. On palate, this is right on the money. Excellent fruit with serious matière and structure. Complex, multi-layered flavours of red and black fruits with minerality. Long, persistent and focused with very soft tannins considering its stage of development. A profound wine that stopped us in our tracks.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru

  The Griotte vines are planted on chalky soil. Very bright colour. Once you get past the malo-influenced reduction, this is incredibly aromatically complex, showing a full peacock's tail. Very pure, energetic and persistent fruit on palate. Complex and multi-layered flavours, including red and black fruit, minerals on the mid palate and a citric element. Superb matière. Structurally very different from the CSJ, less imposing, more refined. Very long. A top quality Grand Cru.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2013 Jean-Marie Fourrier Echezeaux Vieille Vigne

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Vicki concluded by showing us a negoce wine. Deep red. A different nose to the other wines: more spice, earth, musk and compote de fruits. Big fruit. Real fruit weight and power, with more obvious, puckering tannins. A lot of structure, with good acids and earthy, spicy flavours. No doubt a very good wine, but we preferred the non-negoce wines.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue