Domaine FOURRIER (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2017 Tasted from Tank Samples


The vintage was characterised as "rather easy" to do. There was some green harvest.  Picking began on 7 September with the white, then with reds. Malo-lactic fermentations began at the end of winter and finished in May. All wines tasted below had been moved to stainless steel holding tanks a week or so previously, and the estate will bottle in January or February 2019. Grapes were 100% destemmed, as is customary. Normal quantity. No acidification or chaptalization. Alcohols: 12.8-13º, up to 13.4º for grand cru.


2017 Bourgogne    Chardonnay
Nice freshness, good richness, but not too rich, golden apple Chardonnay fruit. Enough acidity.  Good example of the quality of the vintage in white. (89-91)

2017 Morey-Saint-Denis   Clos Solon
Pure, pretty, well-defined red currant and other red fruits. Medium-weight. smooth. Nice freshness. (90-92)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin vieille vigne
Pure, slightly wild red fruits — strawberry, raspberry. Nice, fine structure. Easy to drink.  (90-92)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin  Aux Echézeaux
Not quite as wild as vieille vigne, a little heavier and less fresh, darker fruit. (88-91)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin   1er Cru  Cherbaudes
Not quite as wild as some vintages, more relaxed, less tension. Dark fruits, maybe a touch of licorice, some firmness, but also velvet texture. (90-93)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin   1er Cru   Champeaux
Dark fruits, more freshness, some energy, smooth, good depth. (91-93)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin   1er Cru  Goulots
Black raspberry and blackberry fruit, good freshness and some acidity, but perhaps a bit less energetic than Champeaux. (91-93)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin  1er Cru  Combe aux Moînes
Dark fruits, finesse, lightness on palate, not as energetic as above but more complete. Good length and structure.  (92-94)

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin  1er Cru Clos St-Jacques
Dense and concentrated, but light on palate. Darker fruit than usual. Gaminess isn’t showing right now. I suspect this will improve with time.  (91-94)

2017 Griotte-Chambertin
Denser, heavier than usual, dark fruits that are not typical of this wine in other vintages. Great depth. Like the Clos Saint-Jacques, this wine is atypical for the moment, but I suspect that it will come around to resemble more of what I think of as Griotte. (91-94)