2011 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
The 2011 Les Cherbaudes from Jean-Marie Fourrier is brilliant on both the nose and palate. A blend of red and black cherries and soil tones, the wine is deep, full-bodied and very pure, with a sappy core of fruit, stunning transparency and long and refined on the finish. A delicious wine with a lot of primary fruit that is just so ravishing! (93 pts.)
2011 Forey Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Complex nose with a blend of dark cherries, raw cacao and soil tones, On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and tannic, with good length and grip on the classy finish. This has very nice structure for aging! (91 pts.)
2011 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Clos Vougeot- France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
After a ghetto decanting we got all that pure fruit in the wine, lovely sappy with fine focus, balance and integrated tannins on the complex and very pure finish. A very refined and elegant Clos Vougeot. (92 pts.)
Barry, the 2001 version was really an outstanding wine when I tried it a few years ago. It exhibited an enchanting minerality in a silky body with great aromatics that displayed that Gevrey gamey/sauvage character. It was far and away my favorite 2001 Fourrier, outclassing the Combes aux Moines the Chambolle Greunchers, and even the Clos St. Jacques.
Wow the 2001 sounds great thanks Harry! Wonder how the 2011 will age …
The parcel Cherbaudes sits just beneath the Grand Cru Mazis Chambertin in the central part of the appellation and tends to be the most elegant of the numerous 1er Crus produced by domaine Fourrier.
Last year, I attended a horizontal of the 2001 Fourrier PC’s and Griotte. I believe we had no flawed bottles. They were all very good, though not quite as great as the 2002’s tasted this year.
The ‘test’ bottle of Fourrier Cherbaudes 01 tonight was sensationally good. I’m pretty convinced that the worries about this vintage were the result of its quick transit into closed territory, and there is certainly no problem now judging by the last dozen bottles I’ve opened.
Whew! The pressure is off. I hope your remaining bottles perform just as well. It’s always important to maintain one’s hard-earned reputation as the family wino.
Out of curiosity, how did the family dinner go, and did the remaining 01 Fourrier Cherbaudes perform as well as your test bottle? I know you’re not one to provide extensive TNs, but how would you describe the wine now that it has had a decade or so in bottle, and what do you think makes it distinct from other Gevreys, and specifically other Fourrier Gevreys?
It showed magnificently, Harry. I’m not sure I can answer your question very effectively because these wines in what I suppose is the beginning of maturity are so vastly different from the extremely densely fruited nature they demonstrate in their youth-in fact this is very classic Gevrey in a way that does not seem likely to the doubters, and there are several, who have not followed the wines to this stage, and without comparing side by side this is in all honesty a much vaster difference than that of terroir. Certainly the Griotte in this vintage is in a class apart, having a sort of metaphysical and mysteriously chameleon like nature which is very particular to the most magical grand crus, but I probably prefer the Cherbaudes to the CSJ, a vineyard that for all its completeness sometimes seems to me overrated and inclined towards plushness(I do not think, in fact, that it is overrated, but it needs 25 years to show why). It’s worth remembering particularly at Fourrier that the village wines are every bit as expressive and absorbing as the others.
When I had the 2001 Fourriers about 4-5 years ago, none were “extremely densely fruited,” as you describe. With the exception of the Cherbaudes, they were all of a piece, pleasant to drink but lacking tension or focus. They were not prematurely evolved, IMO, as many complained of at the time. But I questioned the pedigree and all the hoopla about Fourrier being THE up-and-coming Domaine. The wines reminded me in a way of the Jacky Truchot wines from 2002: nice drinks, but what was the fuss about? There was no “nerve” to them, too little structure or spine. The Cherbaudes was very different: full of mineral character, impeccable balance, and great energy and lift. On top of it all, it carried the Gevrey flag of gaminess that sets the village apart from its neighbors. An exquisite wine, with oodles of breed. In comparison, the Clos-St.-Jacques and especially the Combes aux Moines seemed simple, and disjointed. It might well have been an awkward phase, but when Jean-Marie Fourrier said there were some problems with his corks that vintage, I decided to sell my remaining bottles, with the exception of the two Cherbaudes I bought. I kick myself every now and then for not having bought more at the outset, but the domaine was unfamiliar to me at the time.
In subsequent vintages, I’ve very much enjoyed the Gevrey village VV, and the Morey “Clos Solon” but the rest of the stable has become too pricey for my wallet. I’d love to try a Griotte; one of these days, I’ll splurge and give it a go.
