Fourrier Bourgogne - Are there both domain and negociant versions?

WINE TALK
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I know when I first bought and posted about the Fourrier Bourgogne rouge with the 2009 vintage that it was a domain wine. I also know that since 2013, they’ve offered a negociant version. My question is do they now offer both domain and negociant versions? CellarTracker has listings for both, but that could just be user error. The photos I’ve seen since 2013 seem to be “Jean Marie” which indicates negociant.

Thanks

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Perhaps one shouldn’t pose questions to the board on Saturday. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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Used to be Domaine (and I used to know the source of the fruit which is IIRC from a single vineyard). Turned into Negociant as he had access to more fruit.

There is no overlap between the two according to my records HOWEVER only an official importer could confirm this.

(Just checked on my CT and how the hell I sold 6 bottles of 2009 (Domaine) in 2015 is beyond me)

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Per BH - There has been a Jean-Marie (aka negociant) version since 2013. No notes on any other (red) Bourgognes from Fourrier.

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Brady - A&B Vintners in the UK which I’m sure you’ll be familiar with, only offered one BR in the most recent offer. It is listed as J.M. Fourrier in my reserves, so as it stands it’s negoce.

I’m fairly certain that someone told me the BR is nearly all domaine fruit nowadays. Might well have been John @ A&B.

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[scratch.gif] Do you mean it used to be a domaine wine and now is a negotiant bottling? Or vice versa?

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Domaine before then Negociant. (Tough to go the other way if you think about it)

Typo amended.

JM lamented that price for this wine was sky rocketing somewhat akin to DRC BM or his own Sentiers.

8

Thanks for the clarification!

Since you referred to the transition occurring when more fruit became available, I thought perhaps you meant that they had purchased more vineyard land so it became a domaine bottling.

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John,

you are indeed correct. I did not factor that in my reasoning.

10

The Domaine bottling was offered by Armit only back in the days.

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Thanks all for your responses.

So to recap, at this point we believe that through 2012, Fourrier’s Bourgogne rouge was entirely domaine fruit. This wine is labeled as Domaine Fourrier.

Starting in 2013, Fourrier changed it to a negociant wine, presumably with the addition of new fruit, not from the domaine. This wine is labeled as Jean-Marie Fourrier.

We do not believe that he ever bottled both the domain wine and the negociant wine in the same vintage.

I am not 100% certain that the transition occurred with the 2013 vintage, as there is a listing of 2012 Jean-Marie Fourrier Bourgogne rouge in CellarTracker.

As an aside, does anybody know how Fourrier sources their negociant wines? Where does their control start? Farming? Picking? Must? I know Jean-Marie is pretty fanatic on his low-sulfur, minimal lees-stirring regime, so I’d hope he gets early involvement. The only negociant Fourrier I’ve had was a Vosne Aux Reas, which definitely had the typical Fourrier CO2, if not quite the same energy.

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Still researching my own question and found this: Options to expand a family domaine in Burgundy & why many chose to have a boutique negociant - YouTube
Jean-Marie discusses his own negociant approach starting just after the four minute point.

He insists on:

  1. no overlap on appellations to confuse the customer (I’m looking at you Dujac Morey!)
  2. he only buys grapes, not someone else’s wine
  3. he only buys from vineyards in the area he lives, so he can see the sun and clouds.

From Bill Nanson’s excellent Burgundy Report, “About half of Jean-Marie’s grape purchases are picked by his own team, and he notes that he only buys from people who also make wine from the same grapes – not from people who only grow to sell.” Bill also states that (at least in 2013) the Bourgogne rouge grapes come from Fixin. Interesting!

1 Like
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Brady,
I thought you only bought Clos St Jacques and Combe aux Moines…
Hope you enjoy life across the (large) pond.

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Bonjour Antoine,

I save those wines for you, my friend!

I’m searching for cellar defenders, after opening a couple of 2010 premier crus. We love our burgs, but all our village wines are in Seckford. Fourrier Bourgogne will do nicely. Overall you’d be shocked by burg prices here on the west coast. Far different than EP pricing.

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Having your wines in Seckford does not look good if you have to pay an extra 25% Trump duty…
But, of course, I can solve your problem… [cheers.gif]
I’ll drink to you and Emma