My first visit to taste 2018s was at Jean-Marie Fourrier’s Gevrey-Chambertin estate. Not all wines were available to taste as some were being transferred from barrel to holding tank.
Harvesting began on 6 September and there was a 4-1/2 or 5 day picking window, said Jean-Marie. He went with the 100-days-from-flowering rule because when he tasted grapes in the vineyards prior to then, they were sweet, but did not have flavor (i.e., they had physiological maturity but not phenolic maturity). Harvesting took place from 6.30 in the morning to 1.30 in the afternoon; later in the afternoons, the grapes were too warm to bring in, and Jean-Marie did not want to use dry ice to cool them because he believes that it is too brutal to the gapes exposed directly and also that it provides uneven cooling.
There was no acidification here, and as usual in the past, no whole cluster fermentation (but in 2019 there will be about 20% whole clusters). Malolactic fermentations took place in the spring.
Alcohols range up to 13.8% (Clos Sorbés)
2018 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Solon
The nose is floral — white flowers — and also shows red fruits. The mouth is medium-weight and rich with red and dark fruits that are quite ripe, but still show some freshness. (90-92)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin
The straight Gevrey features dark fruit with minerality and some wildness, but the wine has a feel of low acidity. (87-89)
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers
With dark plum jam in the nose and mouth this wine is medium-light with length. It feels low in acidity and is atypical, but still has enough freshness to be attractive. (90-92)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes
The nose here has roasted dark fruits. The mouth is light on the palate with finesse and very fine tannins. The flavors are of dark berry fruit, but the usual tension and energy is not present. The texture is very smooth due to the relatively low acidity. (90-92)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Goulots
Goulots is a cold climate — high on the hill and it is in shadow, says Jean-Marie, earlier than his other vineyards. The nose shows spicy red and dark fruits. The mouth is light on the palate, smooth, and ethereal with long blackberry jam flavors. The tannins are fine and the texture silky. (92-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Champeaux
From another fresh terroir, the Champeaux shows red and dark cherry fruit with good freshness, very fine tannins, and it is round and deep. Once again, the acidity is moderate. (92-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Combe aux Moînes
In contrast to the two previous wines, this one is from a warm terroir, a former quarry with reflection of heat off the walls. The wine shows roasted fruit in the nose. In the mouth, this is a bigger wine than the preceding with dark fruits, some minerality. It is a bruiser of a wine, but there is some finesse here, too. (89-91)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint-Jacques
The Clos Saint-Jacques shows more structure than the preceding wine with some tension to go with depth and purity. There are some tannins showing, and this is still a very young wine, needing time to come together (although this could be a function of the fact that the wine had been recently racked). (92-95)
2018 Griotte-Chambertin
The Griotte-Chambertin is on a completely different level from the other wines. It is aromatic with dark cherry aromas. The mouth is broad and ripe, but not overripe with dark cherry fruit that is deep and pure. The wine is some minerality and is weighty, but not heavy. (95-97)