October 26th, 2018

Domaine Fourrier:

Grand Cru and Beyond

In Stock Now & Arriving Early November

Domaine Fourrier makes some of the most captivating wines in Burgundy. To Burgophiles, this isn’t much of a claim—the wines that Jean-Marie has produced since taking over from his father have become hot tickets in the Burgundy world. If you aren’t familiar, though, these are wines to put on your radar. Fourrier’s style is heavily influenced by his time working under Henri Jayer and the wines show this.

When young they’re among the most impressive in Burgundy, combining succulent fruit with minerality and a complexity that’s nearly unmatched in newly released wines. They improve with age, as well, though we’ve always had a hard time keeping our hands off of the lower-tier wines in the first five years after the vintage. Fourrier works exclusively with old massale vineyards (anything from vines younger than 30 years is sold off) and that sort of soul really makes it into the bottle.

We’ve got some new wines from Fourrier arriving soon, including the nearly-impossible-to-find Griotte-Chambertin and (negociant) Clos de Beze (and more). Keep reading to see the full list or click here to shop!

In Stock Now:

Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2009 750ML Buy Now: $179, 7 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin floats on the palate in its finessed, well-articulated fruit. Subtle and ethereal through to the finish, the wine captures the essence and nobility of Gevrey. With time in the glass the fruit turns darker and the wine puts on weight, showing tons of pedigree and dazzling overall harmony.”
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 91 points “Good deep red. Musky aroma of raspberry, blueberry, smoke, crushed rock and game. At once sweet and taut, with an impression of lift and energy rare for the vintage. Really lovely fruit here. Fourrier told me he liked the effect of elevage in mostly older casks in 2009. “More new oak would have speeded up the evolution of the wines,” he explained. “That would have required using more sulfur dioxide but we still would have lost fruit.””

Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 2016 750ML Buy Now: $99, 11 bottles in stock now
Decanter 90 points “The Gevrey Vieilles Vignes is a great success, and effectively equivalent in quality to several of Fourrier’s premiers crus. It opens in the glass with aromas of red and black cherry fruit, rich soil and a framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, deep at the core and nicely concentrated, with plenty of succulent fruit. This is the most enrobed and complete of Fourrier’s villages in 2016. Drinking window 2024-2040.”
John Gilman 90 points “The 2016 old vine bottling of Gevrey AC, which hails from parcels on the northern side of the village, was showing very well indeed, offering up a fine bouquet of cherries, black raspberries, raw cocoa, mustard seed, dark soil tones and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is full, plush and generous, with a good core of fruit, fine soil signature, modest tannins and a long, poised and sappy finish. This will want a handful of years in the cellar, just to allow its secondary layer of complexity to emerge and the tannins fall away, but it is going to be very tempting to drink right out of the blocks. 2021-2050.”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML Buy Now: $699, 6 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 94 points “With the shortened crop in Clos St. Jacques, there is no Cuvée Centennaire here this year, just a single, truly lovely bottling of this great vineyard. The nose is pure, nascently complex and very precise, offering up scents of red plums, cherries, gamebird, mustard seed, a complex base of soil, roses and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep full-bodied and classically structured, with a sappy core, excellent backend mineral drive, ripe tannins and a very long, vibrant and promising finish. 2030-2070.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 93-95 points “Bright dark red. Knockout ethereal nose combines raspberry, licorice, rose petal, lavender, wild mint and spices. Densely packed but juicy, suave and a bit youthfully imploded, conveying an almost magical impression of weightlessness. Cool and reserved but not at all hard, this fully ripe but reticent wine spreads out to saturate the palate, showing a lighter touch than the Combe Aux Moines. Displays a captivating restrained sweetness from start to long finish. As the lower part of his Clos Saint-Jacques parcel was frosted (production for this premier cru was cut by 30% in ’16), Fourrier chose not to make a separate Cuvée Centennaire.”
Burghound 91-94 points “Outstanding. Here too notes of wood toast and menthol are present on the more elegant array of red currant, spice and a lovely range of floral elements. The sleeker and more refined medium weight flavors possess an appealing sense of underlying tension while delivering outstanding length on the balanced finale. This needs to add depth to merit the top end of my predicted range but the natural class of a fine CSJ is evident. Note that this too will need at least a decade to arrive at its peak.”

Domaine Fourrier Les Cherbaudes Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2008 750ML Buy Now: $169, 6 bottles in stock now
Stephen Tanzer – Vinous 90+ points “Good medium red. Raspberry, cherry, crushed stone, smoked meat, orange peel, mint and wild herbs on the highly complex, very ripe nose. Then quite closed in the mouth, less sweet and more peppery than the nose suggests. Densely packed but in need of aging. Fourrier told me he waited at least two months between the end of the malolactic fermentations and the bottling, and this wine was one of the latest to finish its malolactic fermentation.”

Domaine Fourrier Les Cherbaudes Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML Buy Now: $199, 1 bottle in stock now
Decanter 93 points “Fourrier’s old vines in Cherbaudes, just below the Clos de Bèze, were planted in 1928, and they have produced one of the highlights of the range in 2016. Aromas of plum, cherry, forest floor and grilled meat are framed by a creamy application of new oak, introducing a full-bodied, concentrated wine with an excellent chassis of rich tannins and good depth at the core.Drinking Window 2024 – 2045.”
John Gilman 92 points “There was no frost damage at all in Cherbaudes and the 2016 from Domaine Fourrier was showing very well at the time of my visit, with a plush and transparent personality that augurs very well for its future development. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a fine blend of red plums, cherries, chocolate, mustard seed, a complex base of soil and cedar. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with lovely nascent complexity, ripe, seamless tannins and a long, vibrant and classy finish. The vineyard of Cherbaudes can sometimes be a bit sauvage in personality out of the blocks, but the inherent elegance of 2016 has ameliorated this character trait and the wine is already very elegant. 2027-2060.”

Domaine Fourrier La Combe Aux Moines Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML Buy Now: $219, 4 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 93 points “The 2016 Combes aux Moines from Jean-Marie Fourrier was also down by thirty percent in quantity, but is absolutely stellar in quality. The stunning nose soars from the glass in a mix of red and black cherries, grilled meats, raw cocoa, black minerality, woodsmoke and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and sappy at the core, with great purity and soil signature, ripe, perfectly integrated tannins, bright acids and fine focus and grip on the very, very long and very pure finish. This will take a couple more years in the cellar to come around than the Goulots, but it will be every bit as refined and elegant when it has reached its plateau of maturity. Superb juice. 2028-2065.”
Decanter 91 points “The Combe aux Moines was still quite heavily charged with CO2 when I tasted it, but this warm site has produced another sweet, open-knit wine which offers up aromas of ripe cherry, summer fruits and rose petal, and a rich, full-bodied, ample palate impression. This is just a little brief on the finish, which keeps the score down a touch. Drinking Window 2024-2040.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 91-94 points “Good moderately saturated red. Deep, brooding aromas of black cherry, licorice and smoky minerality. As mineral-driven as the Goulots but with more size and breadth to its dark fruit and spice flavors. Sweet and seamless in the middle, spreading out horizontally to saturate the palate; lovely floral element. Finishes suave and very long, with fine-grained tannins; at once fully ripe and vibrant. This beauty will need at least a few years in bottle to reveal its full personality.”

Domaine Fourrier Les Goulots Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML Buy Now: $219, 1 bottle in stock now
John Gilman 93 points “Normally we will taste Goulots ahead of Champeaux in the lineup chez Fourrier, but I am guessing that the idea was to show the two Gevrey premier crus that escaped frost damage first, followed by the crus higher up on the Combe de Lavaut, where yields were off by an average of thirty percent. Champeaux lies right below Goulots on the slope and the 2016 here is an outstanding wine in the making, delivering a fine nose of red and black cherries, dark chocolate, grilled meats, a lovely base of soil, a touch of fresh herbs, woodsmoke and spicy new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure on the attack, with a sappy core, excellent soil signature, fine-grained tannins and a long, vibrant and nascently complex finish. A beautiful bottle in the making. 2028-2060.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 91-93 points “Good bright-medium red. Tight, dark aromas of black fruits and licorice pastille lifted by a whiff of cranberry. Ripe and broad, but with terrific inner-mouth floral lift and a rocky pungency. Tannins are fully ripe and fine-grained. Offers a rather exhilarating–and uncommon–combination of cooler flavors and full phenolic ripeness. This wine comes from a very cool, east-facing site planted on rock, which had difficulty ripening its fruit prior to global warming. A tighter, more intellectual style than the Champeaux: Fourrier loves the Goulots with sushi, while he’d pair the Champeaux with a rib-eye steak.”
Burghound 90-92 points “Once again there is borderline generous wood influence surrounding the spicier and cooler mix of various red berries, earth and floral scents. As is typically the case, the mouthfeel of the middle weight flavors is both finer and more vibrant though without the same volume and power, all wrapped in a markedly mineral-driven finish. This should be approachable after 5-ish years of bottle age if a younger fruit profile is your preference.”

Arriving Early November:

Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 2003 750ML Buy Now: $499 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Stephen Tanzer 93+ points “Red-ruby. Deeply fruity aromas of blackberry, raspberry, violet and bitter chocolate. Wonderfully precise and penetrating, with uncanny definition and detail for a 2003. The black fruit and violet flavors are lifted by a minty, medicinal element on the back end. Impressively concentrated, vibrant wine, finishing with noble tannins and outstanding persistence.”
Burghound 92 points “This too trades on elegance and purity of expression with just a bit more of everything, particularly mid-palate density. Very fresh and bright red pinot fruit aromas combine with sweet, mineral-infused, crisp and beautifully delineated full-bodied flavors that culminate in a punchy finish that possesses real lift and verve. This has that “wow” factor and while it will be approachable young, this is built to age too.”

Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 2009 750ML Buy Now: $1199 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is a relatively delicate, ethereal wine with expressive aromatics and understated fruit. Deceptively medium in body, the Griotte needs time to flesh out a bit, but it is a stunner. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029.”
Stephen Tanzer 94+ points “Medium red. Slightly high-toned aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, violet and licorice. The high-toned quality carries through in the mouth, where the sappy-sweet black and blue fruit flavors are complicated by saline soil tones. Less creamy than some of Fourrier’s 2009 premier crus, this very firmly structured, long wine will demand patience. The lovely lift on the back end suggests that it has the energy for a long evolution. Fourrier now gets all his corks from a single supplier in Corsica, who simply steams them and does not use a peroxide solution.”
Burghound 94 points “This is also intensely floral as well as quite elegant with a highly attractive sense of freshness to the high-toned red berry and wet stone suffused aromas. The seductively textured, concentrated and mouth coating flavors possess a taut muscularity on the refined, intense and hugely long finish where a discreet touch of wood surfaces. This should make for a seriously fine example of the appellation in a decade or so yet thanks for the ample dry extract, it should be enjoyable young if desired.”

Domaine Fourrier Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 2014 750ML Buy Now: $799 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2014 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru has a very intense bouquet with maraschino, blueberry and violets blossoming in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe black fruit, blueberry and a hint of balsamic, leading to a quite a structured and dense finish that just needs a touch more finesse. I think that will develop with time. Superb.”
Stephen Tanzer–Vinous 94+ points “Good medium red. Strawberry and rose petal on the nose. At once dense and brisk, displaying a penetrating quality to its seamless, fine-grained flavors of red fruits and orange zest. Wonderfully taut and energetic but also fine-grained and suave. Less saline today than the Clos Saint-Jacques but boasts terrific fruit and mineral extension on the long, savory finish.”

Fourrier Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 2014 750ML Buy Now: $599 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 92-95 points “(from 85-year-old vines): Healthy medium red. More closed and less exotic than the Clos de Bèze. Dense, sappy and thick but youthfully tight, with the plum and redcurrant flavors showing much less obvious sweetness than the Clos de Bèze or Cherbaudes. This is more austere, with the serious tannins currently cutting off the fruit. I’d like to see this again in a year or two.”
Burghound 92-94 points “Like the Clos de Bèze moderate wood can be found on the brooding nose of black pinot fruit that is liberally laced by notes of earth and animale nuances. The lush and very generous medium weight plus flavors possess both good energy and fine precision while delivering excellent power and minerality on the balanced, long and youthfully austere finale. Once again I would suggest buying this only if you have the intent of aging it for at least 8 years or so.”

“Don’t miss!”
Fourrier Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne 2015 750ML Buy Now: $679 pre-arrival special, only 2 bottles available
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The 2015 Chambertin Grand Cru has a beautifully defined bouquet with black cherries, crushed strawberry, bergamot and rose petal scents, the mineralité surfacing with a few swirls of the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, gentle grip, fine structure with impressive density on the finish. The elegance will come later, with bottle age.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94-96 points “(made from even smaller berries than the Clos de Bèze, according to Fourrier; this fruit was picked on September 20; just one new barrel out of four): Deep red. Wild, soil-driven scents of raspberry, minerals, spices and game. Boasts outstanding richness and depth of texture without heaviness, although some unabsorbed CO2 is muting the wine’s fruit today. Most impressive today on the spicy, building finish, which features utterly noble tannins and pronounced terroir character. “The magic of 2015 was the way the vines were able to maintain their plateau of ripeness for two weeks,” noted Fourrier.”
Burghound 93-95 points “Don’t miss! A prominently less spicy but even more complex nose displays admirable purity on the cool, dense and restrained array of various black berry fruit, earth, forest floor and a hint of the sauvage. The more mineral-driven and overtly powerful big-bodied flavors possess even better energy if less refinement on the hugely long, serious and built-to-age finale. This will absolutely require at least a decade of bottle age and reward double that.”

“Flat out terrific and highly recommended.”
Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2005 750ML Buy Now: $699 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94+ points “Good deep red. Knockout nose combines raspberry, mocha, roast coffee, game and minerals, accented by mint and oak spice. The palate offers a lush wall of thick fruit that saturates the entire palate without leaving any impression of weight. This densely packed beauty finishes extremely long and smooth, with utterly suave tannins and superb aromatic lift.”
Burghound 94 points “Outstanding. A positively gorgeous nose of cool red, blue and violet aromas nuanced with hints of anise, stone, mild earth and crushed herb notes that continue onto the classy, refined and very pure flavors that retain a terrific sense of focus and detail on the firmly tannic and almost Zen-like finish that is a study in harmony and grace. Flat out terrific and highly recommended. Stated differently, don’t miss it!”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2008 750ML Buy Now: $599 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2008 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques engages all of the senses with its cool, mineral-laced fruit and expressive bouquet. This shows marvelous tension and energy, not to mention fabulous overall balance. It could not be more different in style than the 2009 tasted alongside it. Both are fabulous, though. The 2008 is one of the more backward wines of the vintage and will require considerable patience.”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2009 750ML Buy Now: $519 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Antonio Galloni 96 points “The 2009 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques is a seamless beauty laced with sweet hard candy, perfumed cherries, kirsch and sweet spices. The sweetest and silkiest of tannins caress the palate from start to finish as this sublime Burgundy conquers all of the senses. The laser-like, pure finish is breathtaking.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94 points “Good bright medium red. Wild, musky aromas of strawberry, raspberry, minerals and game; quite explosive on the nose. Sweet, fat and savory, with the musky quality carrying through on the palate. Not particularly high-pitched or floral but offers terrific intensity of red berry and soil flavors. Fourrier believes that following three vintages with lower levels of phenolic maturity, many growers overextracted in 2009. Incidentally, he’s now confident about his labor-intensive system for sealing his bottles with wax and believes that a wine like this Clos Saint-Jacques should have no trouble aging for 20 years.”
Burghound 93 points “This storied terroir often produces one of the most elegant and sophisticated of all the 26 Gevrey 1ers with the gorgeously refined red berry fruit and floral nose suffused by an almost pungent minerality that continues onto the supple, fresh and vibrant medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent concentration and a stunning, even explosive if firmly structured finish. This is an intense wine of harmony and drive with everything it needs for a long life.”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2010 750ML Buy Now: $519 pre-arrival special, only 3 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 95 points “Medium red. Perfumed aromas of raspberry, dried rose, smoke and pepper. Deep, dry and intense on the palate, with compelling inner-mouth perfume to the raspberry and orange zest flavors. The wine’s exhilarating sugar/acid balance and peppery lift give the very long, savory finish outstanding verve. Tannins are utterly suave.”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2012 750ML Buy Now: $499 pre-arrival special, only 2 bottles available
Wine Advocate 96 points “Tasted blind at the annual “Burgfest” tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques from Fourrier is showing the most stems on the nose, but it is so full of character with supreme delineation. The aromatics clearly need three or four years to fully coalesce. The palate is divine: supremely fine tannin, perfectly judged acidity, utterly harmonious with not a hair out of place on the finish. There is so much sophistication here that it does not know what to do with itself. This is the Clos Saint Jacques that is leading the pack – a quite brilliant wine from Jean-Marie Fourrier.”
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94+ points “Bright, moderately saturated dark red. Brilliantly pure, vibrant aromas of raspberry, rose petal, spices and crushed stone; here the terroir trumps the vintage character. Wonderfully silky on the palate but with a firm spine of acidity giving the flavors of red berries, flowers and crushed stone a youthfully clenched quality. Finishes with outstanding breadth and saline complexity, the noble tannins thoroughly coated by fruit. It will be a treat to try this wine next to the 2013 version a decade from now.”

Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2014 750ML Buy Now: $599 pre-arrival special, only 2 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 94 points “Healthy medium red. Sexy, complex aromas of strawberry, crushed stone and rose petal convey a captivating combe coolness. Wonderfully concentrated and bright, combining classic 2014 salty minerality with superb fruit intensity. Boasts the kind of restrained generosity of fruit that reminds me of the ’99s in the early going. A compelling, saline vin de terroir but not a powerhouse. The long, rising finish features very suave tannins.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2014 tasting, Jean-Marie Fourrier’s 2014 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques (labelled with “Vieilles Vignes”) has a very pure bouquet, almost coulis-like fruit, dark cherries intermingling with blueberry and light marmalade scents. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite sensual in the mouth with good depth on the finish. Perhaps what it is missing is that peacock’s tail—it sort of ends in the wrong key. There is great potential here though not best in the (Clos Saint-Jacques) show this year. Like a television with its contrast turned up a bit too high when compared to its peers. Tasted September 2017.”
Burghound 92-94 points “Sweet Spot Outstanding. This is at once cooler and more elegant with its airy assortment of pure red and blue pinot fruit, floral, spice, earth and tea scents. There is fine intensity and excellent delineation to the pungently mineral-inflected and refined medium weight flavors where the sense of refinement is enhanced by the super fine-grained tannins, all wrapped in an explosively long and perfectly balanced finale. In a word, marvelous.”

Fourrier Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2013 750ML Buy Now: $599 pre-arrival special, only 2 bottles available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 92-95 points “Bright, dark red. Sappy raspberry, strawberry and black cherry aromas and flavors are complicated by earth and spice notes. Voluptuous and fine-grained but extremely backward, with perfectly judged oak. Most impressive today on the whiplash of a finish. This distinctly masculine wine will need many years in bottle to unclench.”
Burghound 92-95 points “Reduction flattens the fruit but there is good freshness and a lovely inner mouth perfume to the very spicy and mineral-driven big-bodied flavors that are shaped by notably ripe tannins on the backward, structured and very markedly serious finale. I like the balance and the underlying material and provided that you have the patience to wait at least 10 years this should be first-rate.”
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 92-94 points “The 2013 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze has an open and generous bouquet with beautiful floral scents: violets and rose petals, all with great delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannins, superb acidity and tension with a very precise saline finish. This is a very fine Clos-de-Bèze from Jean-Marie.”

Fourrier Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes 2015 750ML Buy Now: $599 pre-arrival special, only 1 bottle available
Stephen Tanzer-Vinous 93-95 points “Moderately saturated medium red. High-pitched perfume of raspberry and crushed rock. Savory and sharply delineated, conveying strong soil character to its flavors of raspberry, minerals and rose petal. Still tight but not austere, this compellingly juicy wine finishes brisk and very long. This will need time in bottle to open and blossom. These vines are located just above Fourrier’s Cherbaudes holding.”
Burghound 92-95 points “Discreet wood does not interfere with the clear expression of the wonderfully spicy red currant, black cherry and softly earthy-scented nose. There is much more refinement to the powerful, intense and moderately dense flavors that delivers excellent complexity and outstanding length. A wine of class and grace.”
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 91-93 points “The 2015 Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru has a detailed and refined bouquet with bright red cherries, crushed strawberry and a touch of orange blossom. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, good density, vibrant with a frisson of active limestone on the finish. This is a fine Clos-de-Bèze, although I must be honest, I was expecting more breeding on the finish.”

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