John Grochau’s Timeless Oregon Pinot
Classic Beaujolais, Inspired by Burgundy
Grapelive Reviews a Northern Rhone Sleeper
New Releases From Cavallotto, a Piemontese Icon
Trending Wines of the Week
Rosso di Montalcino – Top Tuscan Value
Cantalupo’s Ghemme: The Future of Piemonte
Some of Fourrier’s Hardest to Find Wines
Featured New Arrival
John Grochau’s Timeless Oregon Pinot
Just Arrived:
Grochau Cellars Zenith Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 2013 750ML ($47.95) $28 special
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93 points “Brilliant red. Powerful, spice-accented cherry and raspberry aromas are complemented by hints of candied rose, anise and smoky minerals. Sweet and focused on the palate, offering intense red and dark berry and spicecake flavors and a strong suggestion of floral pastilles. Rich yet lithe in the style, this elegant Pinot finishes with powerful, spicy thrust and silky, slow-building tannins that contribute shape and grip.”
The next best price is $38
In Stock Now:
Chateau du Moulin-a-Vent ‘Moulin-a-Vent’ Couvent des Thorins, Beaujolais 2016 750ML ($27.95) $21.90 special
Wine Enthusiast 93 points “This wine that comes from three different parcels has an open style, ripe with berries and rich flavors. The style is rich and concentrated, with a solid core of tannins. This wine could well age, and it will be best from 2019.”
Josh Raynolds-Vinous 91 points “Lurid ruby. Fresh raspberry, blood orange and potpourri scents are complemented by white pepper and smoky mineral nuances. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering appealingly sweet red berry and peppery spice flavors and a hint of candied lavender. Shows very good energy and definition on the subtly tannic finish, which hangs on with strong, tangy persistence. This is a pretty graceful, even delicate wine for its appellation.”
For a Sleeper of the 2016 Northern Rhone Vintage
Grapelive 94 points “The gorgeous and stylish Saint-Cosme 2016 Cote-Rotie is a luxurious vintage and opulent version with a textural grace and inner force that reminds you this is a wine that needs to be taken seriously. Barruol is a huge fan of the ancient local clone of Syrah and his Cote-Rotie is 100% Serine (Syrah) grown on pure Schist in the Le Plomb, Besset, la Viaillère and Neve Lieu-Dit vineyards. This vintage is spectular for the Northern Rhone, especially Cote-Rotie offering both ripe flavors and lifting acidity, these are powerful and dense wines, but with excellent balance, finesse and length. Saint-Cosme’s spent twelve months aging, with 40% in new casks and the remaining 60% in casks used one time which seems pretty lavish at first, but when the wine opens it all folds together to near perfection. Helping absorb the new oak is the vintage’s fullness and nice acidity with Barruol using 100% whole cluster fermentation, which is why this wine excites the palate and has intriguing complexity and a background of savory spices to go with that thick black and blue fruit. This 2016 Louis Barruol Saint Cosme Cote-Rotie has everything you’d expect and want, especially for the price this is outrageously good stuff, maybe a sleeper in a vintage full of great wines from the region, but one that should not be missed, and a wine that will only get better with time…Layers of boysenberry, damson plum, black cherry and blueberry fruit forms a core here along with a touch of graphite, creme de cassis, peppercorns, elegant violets, mineral tones, vanilla and anise, that all come together in a seamless and magnificent symphony of flavors.”
The next best price is $66.39
That’s a difference of over $14 per bottle!
A Piemontese Icon
Cavallotto is a top tier, old school producer of Barolo. They make wines that are impressively ageworthy and every bit as good as producers whose wines go for 50%-100% more per bottle than the top wines from Cavallotto, but somehow manage to stay at the edges of the mainstream Barolo drinker. We notice that our customers who buy Cavallotto buy a lot of Piemontese wines—they’re very in the know drinkers.
Unfortunately (for everyone else) that enthusiasm hasn’t yet spread, which is something we’d like to change. These are incredibly expressive wines and are very true to their vineyard terroirs. Antoni Galloni describes them as “made in a style that offers the fruit density of contemporary Barolos with the structural underpinnings that are found in more traditionally made wines.” We agree—these are special wines and deserve a (major) place in your cellar.
Recently Arrived:
Cavallotto Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe, Barolo Riserva DOCG 2012 750ML ($149.95) $119 special
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 95 points “Here is another excellent rendition of the celebrated Bricco Boschis cru (one of the best performing vineyards in Castiglione Falletto) from the talented Cavallotto family. The 2012 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe sees fruit picked only from the central part of the vineyard parcel. This area suffers less stress during the hottest months of summer because it is more protected and isolated. This wine is the proverbial overachiever among this estate’s new releases. The bouquet shows a highly refined and focused quality with extreme varietal precision. The 2012 vintage stands somewhere in between 2010 for its elegance and 2011 for its power. In fact, I tasted this wine next to the 2011 expression and found that the 2012 vintage plays its cards closer to its chest. It has a lot to give in the future as it continues down its evolutionary path. Patience is required. Savory spice and smoke make for an elegant twist on the finish.”
Monica Larner-Wine Advocate 94 points “This wine will be released next September. The 2012 Barolo Riserva Vignolo shows a darkened and enriched side of the graceful Nebbiolo grape. This effort delivers a bit more weight and power with firm structure and balanced but also slightly dry tannins. The wine’s acidity plays an important role in giving this expression such a sharp and focused personality. This wine ages in large oak casks for five years, thus prompting deep complexity and aromatic layering. The Vignolo vines are a bit lower in altitude (from 250 to 310 meters above sea level) compared to San Giuseppe (at 310 to 340 meters above sea level). That lower positioning favors the immediate richness and succulence you taste here.”
Wine Advocate 92+ points “I tasted the 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo from vat but am giving it a final score because the wine had been taken out of wood and was just about to go into the bottle when I visited the estate. This wine shows deep, lasting and increased aromatic intensity that really points to the quality levels achieved with Nebbiolo in 2016. Bottle production of this wine is greatly reduced because more fruit was moved up to the production of top-shelf Barolo instead. The wine is compact, firm and tight, but it also offers lots of inner energy and brightness. Fruit from the youngest vines ends up in the Langhe Nebbiolo. Cavallotto plans to make greater volumes of this wine in 2017.”
This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!
Also In Stock Now:
Cavallotto Bricco Boschis, Barolo DOCG, 2013 750ML ($89.95) $66 special
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate 96+ points “Cavallotto is on a roll with some very impressive new releases. The 2013 Barolo Bricco Boschis is a tremendous effort that has an edge on the excellent 2010 vintage in my view. The wine shows a beautifully exuberant but elegant bouquet with the ethereal and undertone fruit and spice aromas you get with Nebbiolo. Although the wine is never overdone, it does show silky persistence and a long finish that comes from the noble nature of the tannins and the wine’s textural finesse. Yet, it is playfully deceiving in a way because behind that polished grace, it delivers impressive depth and power.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “This is packed with sweet cherry, currant, floral and spice flavors. The vivid acidity drives the intensity, while dense tannins lend support. This will take some time to harmonize, but should be well worth the wait. Best from 2022 through 2040.”
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 2013 Barolo Bricco Boschis is terrific. Dense and powerful in the glass, the 2013 offers notable energy and muscle in its dark-toned Nebbiolo flavors. Smoke, graphite, rose petal, licorice and menthol develop in what is a decidedly brooding, inward Bricco Boschis. There is real staying power and persistence to the 2013. I wouldn’t plan on touching a bottle anytime soon.”
Cavallotto Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe, Barolo Riserva DOCG 2011 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate 95 points “The Cavallotto 2011 Barolo Riserva Bricco Boschis Vigna San Giuseppe is an exceptional wine that really shows the best of Castiglione Falletto, home to some of Barolo’s most consistent and age-worthy wines. This bottle offers enormous complexity coupled by power and linear, classic lines. Maceration stopped at 20 days, otherwise the winemaking team feared the results would be overdone and too bold. The bouquet opens quickly to reveal dark fruit, spice, anise seed and licorice. The effect is ethereal and lasting. It would be hard to pin this wine down as being from the warm 2011 vintage in a blind tasting. The acidity is fresh and nicely folded into the background.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “Balanced and expressive, this Barolo features maturing aromas and flavors of cherry, licorice, tobacco and mineral. Builds to a long, detailed aftertaste. Altogether savory and fresh. Best from 2020 through 2033.”
Cavallotto Bricco Boschis Vignolo, Barolo Riserva DOCG 2011 750ML ($119.95) $89 special
Antonio Galloni 94 points “A dark, powerful wine, the 2011 Barolo Riserva Vignolo has nevertheless preserved good freshness for the year. The breadth and amplitude of the vintage comes through, and yet all the elements are impeccably balanced. Readers can look forward to another 20 years of fine drinking. This is very nicely done.”
Wine Spectator 94 points “There are plenty of bass notes in this ripe, broad red, from deep plum and black cherry flavors to licorice and tar notes. An undercurrent of freshness propels the underbrush elements on the finish. Complex and long. Best from 2021 through 2035.”
Monica Larner – Wine Advocate 93 points “2011 Barolo Riserva Vignolo is a dark and succulent expression that showcases the characteristics of the warm vintage. The bouquet puts forth a compelling set of dark fruit characteristics with Morello cherry, dried blackberry, mocha and delicate accents of sweet spice. The vineyard team was careful to keep the clusters under the shade of the canopy for as long as possible during the summer months to prevent the grapes from ripening too fast or bleaching their color pigments. The results are very nice indeed.”
Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2017 750ML ($17.95) $14 special
Case-12 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2017 750ML ($189.95) $149 special (that’s only $12.42/bottle!)
Grapelive 92 points “Saint Cosme’s Cotes-du-Rhone, grown on a mix of soils, including red clay, pebbles and limestone sands all hillside vines is partial whole cluster and all tank raised. Always a wine of value and purity it gives a ton of character, personality and never disappoints in any vintage, and this one is an exceptional year. In 2017, low yields produced wines with lots of intensity and depth with hedonistic density, but with vibrant fresh detail, with what Barruol notes, adds crunchiness and salinity to this beautiful red wine. This 2017, which is an amazing follow up to the great 2015 and 2016 versions that I loved, delivers boysenberry, sweet blueberry and plum fruit as well as savory spices, a touch of meat, black licorice and a inner perfume of violets and lavender. Rounded tannins give structure, making this wine perform at a higher level than one would expect and this vintage in particular will age well, maybe a decade or more, impressive for the price!”
James Suckling 91 points “Beautiful, garrigue herbs and flowers across fragrant, red berries. The palate has a very deep-set, plush and ripe core of dark-berry flavors, amid glossy, ripe tannins. Great value. Drink or hold.”
Wine Advocate 90 points “The 100% Syrah 2017 Cotes du Rhone is a bargain superstar, offering hints of smoke, cracked pepper, blueberries and black olives. It’s medium to full-bodied, with a long, supple finish. For the $20 (or less) I’ve seen it selling for, you’re not going to find a better Syrah.”
There’s no off-season for rosé.
Chateau de Roquefort Cotes de Provence Corail Rose 2017 750ML ($24.95) $16 special
Case-12 Chateau de Roquefort Cotes de Provence Corail Rose 2017 750ML ($279.95) $169 special
Josh Raynolds 90 points “Brilliant pink. Incisive and highly perfumed, displaying intense aromas of fresh red berries, tangerine and succulent flowers that show impressive delineation and mineral lift. Stains the palate with juicy raspberry, pink grapefruit and candied lavender flavors that deepen steadily on the back half. Finishes long, minerally and smooth, with repeating citrus fruit and floral character and a touch of spicy white pepper. This wine delivers superb bang for the buck.”
Perhaps there is Tuesday night Champagne, after all.
R. Dumont & Fils Brut, Champagne NV 750ML ($39.95) $29 special
R. Dumont & Fils Brut, Champagne NV 375ML ($24.95) $18 special
R. Dumont & Fils Brut, Champagne NV 1.5L ($89.95) $66 special
Importer note “The Dumont Brut NV is a blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay. The grapes from their vineyard have qualities that seem less aggressive and more sumptuous than those from the northern districts. In addition, vinification of whole berries at low temperatures enhances this quality of soft elegance. The NV is a blend of vintages typically between two and five years old. It is aged for two years on the lees before disgorgement. Dosage is 9 grams.”
This is the lowest listed price for a half-bottle in the USA today!
This is the lowest listed price for a magnum in the USA today!
Bedrock Wine Co. Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma Valley 2017 750ML ($29.95) $24 special
Wine Spectator 93 points “Old-school meets new in this Zinfandel, with just enough polish and plumpness to match the briary rusticity. Offers expressive black cherry, smoky anise and white pepper flavors. Drink now through 2024.”
A top value out of the Northern Rhone. Rich and delicious.
Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone 2016 750ML ($27.95) $24 special
Grapelive 94 points “Louis Barruol’s Saint Cosme [is] most famous for [the] Gigondas, [yet the] negociant series is one of the great values in the wine world. His northern Rhone lineup especially impresses, with his Crozes-Hermitage always a stand out. This 2016 is no exception with the vintage’s amazing combination of power and poise showing a deep character, but with a lovely freshness of detail and inner energy. Barruol’s deep/dark purple/garnet hued Crozes-Hermitage is 100% Serine clone (a local and an ancient variety of Syrah). [It] is 100% destemmed fruit coming off main sites in the extraordinary hillsides around the villages within Crozes, Larnage, Gervans and Erôme. [The] vineyard plots [are] of sand/clay over granite soils. This vintage was aged in 20% new French oak with the rest being put in 1 and 2 times used cask, with the Syrah seeing about a year of elevage before bottling unfiltered. [This makes] for a rich, ripe and vivid Crozes-Hermitage Rouge with a pure and earthy Syrah personality and a classic regional terroir core and character with a loaded palate of black and blue fruit, spice and savory elements with a raw tannic grip as well as the vintage’s nice acidity that gives this wine an exciting kick in the ass! Barruol notes that his growers… in Tenay, Habrard and Batits sit behind [the] Hermitage hill itself, with the oldest vines having the ability to produce wines that can compete with Hermitage! I do not doubt that and you can feel their presence in vintages such as this, no question. Again this wine is an absolute steal for the price. The Saint Cosme 2016 Crozes surprises for the width and textural feel with beautiful layers of blackberry, boysenberry, blueberry, damson plum and black cherry/kirsch fruits along with light camphor/embers, violets, mission fig, cinnamon, black licorice, creme de cassis, peppercorns, and a hint of crushed rock and leather. There is a lot going on here, and the finish is exceptionally lengthy and smooth. It has serious palate impact, while still fresh in details at 13% natural alcohol. It is medium/full in body, perfectly weighted, and I can see it getting better over the next 3 to 5 years, too. Very impressive. It’s a Syrah that delivers on its promises. Delicious stuff. Give [it] air or decant for best results, but [it’s] absolutely magic when paired with rustic/robust cuisine. Drink this Crozes over the next 5 to 10 years.”
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “I loved the 2016 Crozes Hermitage, which comes from granite terroirs located behind Hermitage hill. It offers layers of blackberry fruit, olive tapenade, ground pepper, and violet aromas and flavors. Deep, medium to full-bodied, and seamless, it shows the purity and finesse that’s the hallmark of this vintage.”
Top Tuscan Value
In Stock Now:
Fuligni Ginestreto Rosso di Montalcino, Tuscany 2014 750ML ($36.95) $24 special
Wine Spectator 90 points “Cherry, strawberry and cedar aromas and flavors abound, while the silky texture and finely grained tannins complement the fruit. Tobacco and earth notes grace the long finish. Drink now through 2019. 800 cases made.”
The next best price is $29.97
That’s a difference of over $5 per bottle!
The average listed price is $31
The Future of Piemonte
The best part? The prices. Most Cantalupo’s wines are between $30-60, with most of them in the lower part of that price range, but no matter where you’re buying, you’re probably saving 30-50% vs. a wine of comparable quality that has the Barolo tag (and the branding behind it). Sure you don’t get to brag about the Barolo you bought, but if you’re in it for the wines themselves, this is where you want to be.
In Stock Now:
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo ‘Mia Ida’ Spumante Brut Rose, Piedmont NV 750ML ($21.95) $18 special
Ian D’agata-Vinous 92 points “Pale pink. Very floral, red cherry and yellow peach aromas and flavors. Nicely rich, pliant and fruit-driven, with a touch of sweetness and a glyceral presence that gives this a creamy mouthfeel. This smooth pink bubbly boasts sneaky concentration and complexity, finishing persistent with echoes of vanilla and fresh flowers. First made in the 2009 vintage, this Nebbiolo sparkler’s name refers to Ida Rosa Arlunno, mother of Alberto, who runs the winery today.”
Winery note “Light cherry, crystalline color, with fine and tenacious pearl. Fragrances of fruits, such as red apple, and violet flowers. Ready to drink, supple, fresh and with a good sapidity.”
Importer note “Sourced from the vineyards of Carella, Baraggiola and Valera. Soil is made up of moraine (glacial deposit) which is high in minerals, rocks, gravel and sand. Hand harvested. Grapes were destemmed and then delicately pressed. The skins were left to soak for a relatively short period. Once the malolactic fermentation was complete the wine was transferred to small 9 hl. casks until Autumn. Agamium is Latin for Ghemme, wine region already known during the Roman era and even before that, during the Celtic era.”
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo ‘Cantalupo Anno Primo’, Ghemme DOCG 2011 1.5L ($99.95) $79 special
Importer note “Made entirely of Nebbiolo, normally picked in the middle of October. About ten days on the skins, aged in Slavonian oak casks of 1,500 and 3,000L capacity for 24 months before bottling. If you love Barolo and Barbaresco you owe it to yourself to try this wine; chewy but refined tannins, beautiful texture, very flavorful and aromatic, showing many of the same notes as Barolo and Barbaresco would, but with a mineral overlay that is very attractive. Completely traditional and also completely clean winemaking, my favorite. Drinkable now but will age beautifully for 20 years or more.”
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Collis Breclemae, Ghemme DOCG 2007 1.5L ($119.95) $89 special
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Collis Breclemae, Ghemme DOCG 2007 3L ($279.95) $219 special
Antonio Galloni 92+ points “The 2007 Ghemme Collis Breclamae shows the deeper, slightly wilder side of Ghemme. Game, smoke, licorice, cedar and tobacco are expressed with elements of burliness and rusticity. There is more than enough depth to fill out the wine’s broad shoulders. Still, what comes through most is the wine’s virile, imposing personality.”
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Collis Breclemae, Ghemme DOCG 2010 1.5L ($119.95) $99 special
Antonio Galloni 92+ points “The 2010 Ghemme Collis Breclemae is a powerful, austere wine and also the most tannic of the three Ghemmes I tasted from Cantalupo. Readers should be prepared to cellar the 2010 for at least a few years, as the bruising tannins are going to need time to soften a bit. Black cherry, wood smoke, licorice, tobacco and incense add to an impression of virile intensity. The Collis Breclamae is another wine with tons of cellaring potential.”
Winery note “Made entirely of Nebbiolo grown in the hillside vineyard called ‘Collis Breclemae,’ picked in the second half of October. About two weeks of maceration with the skins, then the wine is aged for 36 months in used barrels ranging between 900 and 2800L. Very rocky soil, which presumably explains the very distinctive mineral character the wine shows. Very round tannins that remind me of 70% dark chocolate, not at all bitter, just savory; this will age brilliantly, but if I’m eating ribeye now I would drink this with it in a second. Really big wine with excellent balance.”
This is the lowest listed price for a magnum in the USA today!
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Collis Breclemae, Ghemme DOCG 2011 1.5L ($149.95) $119 special
Importer note “Soil is made up of moraine (glacial deposit) which is high in minerals, rocks, gravel and sand. Grapes were destemmed and delicately pressed keeping the rolls of the destemmer sufficiently distant from each other in order to avoid the ill-treating of the grapes as much as possible. After the fermentation at 28-30 degrees Celsius, two pressings a day were carreid out in order to favor the extraction of the anthocyans and the polymerised tannins from the skins, which give that characteristic velvety, sweet and at the same time austere taste to this wine.”
Magical Bottles From the Star of Gevrey
When young they’re among the most impressive wines in Burgundy and they improve with age, as well. We’ve always had a hard time keeping our hands off of the lower-tier wines in the first five years after the vintage, but stash a few bottles in your cellar and you’ll reap the rewards later. 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.
The kicker with Fourrier is that quantities have really started to dry up in the last three+ years. Prices have gone up correspondingly, but these are wines that are already starting to disappear from the marketplace. We’ve worked hard to acquire a number of wines across a few vintages—some in stock now, some arriving soon—and we’d highly suggest (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) that you take advantage of our sourcing prowess while you can.
Top Picks In Stock Now:
Domaine Fourrier Clos Saint-Jacques, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML ($999.95) $599 special
William Kelley – Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques is brilliant, unfurling in the glass with a multifaceted bouquet in which aromas of raspberries, orange rind and cassis mingle with nuances of peony, spice and subtle grilled meat. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, ample and pure, with a deep, multidimensional mid-palate that’s framed by satiny tannins and juicy acids, concluding with a long, fragrant finish. The exquisite textural elegance that Fourrier routinely achieves with this site does not conceal the wine’s underlying power and concentration.”
Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits 2016 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
William Kelley – Wine Advocate 90 points “An attractive bouquet of plums, cassis and earthy forest floor introduces the 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, a medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny wine, with melting tannins, tangy acids and good concentration, concluding with a long finish. Elegant and pure, it exemplifies Fourrier’s style.”
Domaine Fourrier Les Cherbaudes Vieilles Vignes, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2016 750ML ($279.95) $199 special
William Kelley – Wine Advocate 92 points “The 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes is excellent, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of dark chocolate, cassis, wild berries and plums. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a layered core of crunchy fruit, fine structuring tannins and a long, sapid finish. While this is very elegant in style this year, it has more than enough substance to evolve in bottle for two decades or more.”
More Fourrier, Arriving this Month:
Jean-Marie Fourrier Chambertin Clos-de-Beze Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes, Cote de Nuits 2015 750ML ($699.95) $599 pre-arrival special
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.”
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.”
Jean-Marie Fourrier Chambertin Grand Cru Vieille Vigne, Cote de Nuits 2015 750ML ($779.95) $679 pre-arrival special
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.”
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.”
(check out all the Fourrier, in stock and arriving soon, on our web store by clicking here or viewing the list below.)
