I know you did not plan it to be so Mark, but on reflection this is a really fascinating pairing- one worthy of reflection and discussion.
For my part, I do not care for Fourrier- but I certainly find the wines very tasty. I put them in the same mental bucket as Claude Dugat- incredibly good underlying material and fruit expression, but too much extraction and too much wood for my tastes. “Too many notes” for fellow Amadeus fans ![:slight_smile: :slight_smile:](/images/emoji/apple/slight_smile.png?v=12)
That said, back when it was available I bought all the Claude Dugat Bourgogne I could. Loved the stuff, and loved giving it as gifts. Like Bertrand Ambroise Bourgogne Rouge, it was the holiday gift that could never go wrong. And I personally enjoyed drinking it at casual events like BBQs or just a glass in the evening to relax. If I did not already have other things filling that role today, I could see myself being similarly enthusiastic about Fourrier’s Bourgogne (if not the price, I got Dugat’s Bourgogne for $25 “back in the day”- but Dugat doesn’t come that cheap anymore either.)
Charmes-Chambertin, and the Jadot version in particular, is a whole other animal. I have a soft spot in my heart for Charmes-Chambertin, especially the Drouhin and Roumier versions. Rousseau and Jadot are a close second. While it is reputed to be the earliest maturing Gevrey grand cru- I like to give it a lot of time to fully flesh out its nuances and aromatics as the body of the wine itself is a very small part of its greatness. And the Jadot and Rousseau versions need that time most of all.
And even then, it is still something of a subdued wine. One of the best Charmes I have ever had is the magnificent 2001 Roumier- and I bet if I served that blind today alongside a Fourrier or Dugat Bourgogne from a ripe and accessible vintage that the Bourgogne would likely get more votes in a standalone comparison. But with a nice piece of game meat and a rich sauce- the Charmes would win the day, providing a properly nuanced and understated accompaniment.
The terroirist in me would say the Charmes, provided it is a well-made example, is inherently superior to any Bourgogne- but for all practical purposes, the question of which one to actually buy and drink is are you going to cellar it and eventually serve it solo with a carefully matched dish or pop and pour on demand in a “wine tasting” setting- the latter of which is the far more popular option for enjoying high end wine these days.
As for the general comments about Jadot- while I can see where some might find them boring, I would also say that the wines are often opened far too young. Jadot has its share of wow wines- Clos St. Denis most of all for me- but even there I have yet to try an example I thought was fully mature since they only started annually making wine from the Gagey holdings in 1993. The Bonnes-Mares can be great too, but that one needs even more time than Roumier. Beaune Ursules is probably the most accessible of the greats at a young age- but even then the wine tends to be austere. 2002 is the only Ursules I have ever tasted at release which gave a really good and open insight into just how great it would be in time. At release, that wine would have made a believer out of just about anyone with any love for Burgundy.