2020 Jean Marie Fourrier Bourgogne Rouge Cote de Nuits France

Winemaker Notes

"For the Fourrier Bourgogne Rouge, only the Pinot Noir grapes from vines over 30 years old are used to make the wines on the estate. The grapes are carefully selected in the vineyards, destemmed and not crushed at all for the fermentation process. The wines are aged for approximately 16 - 20 months, using only a small percentage of new oak (approximately 20%). The wines are not crossed and are transferred to cuves two months before bottling. They are characterized by their pure fruit, they are strongly terroir dominated and possess great elegance. For several years now, Fourrier's wines have been particularly in demand, he enjoys absolute star status and his wines are among the most sought-after red Burgundies.

In the cellar, Jean-Marie tries to preserve the softness of the fruit in his wine. There is a vibrating sorting table, after which the grapes are completely de-stemmed (he tried stem-working in 1995 with unsatisfactory results, but may be experimenting again in his new, purpose-built cuvérie.) The barrels are not cooled at the start of fermentation, Jean -Marie likes the natural maceration of 3 to 4 days before the grapes start to ferment on their own. The husks are manually precipitated two to four times a day, but there is no pumping over. After fermentation, Jean-Marie cools the barrels to about 12°C, which inhibits the early onset of malolactic fermentation.

All wines, whether village or grand cru, are aged in 20% new oak, with the idea of continuing to renew the barrel cellar rather than influencing the fruit with barrel aromas. The result of all this painstaking work is very attractive wines, each one very clearly showing the character of their origin. The Jean-Marie Fourrier Bourgogne Rouge - Pinot Noir is a beautiful red Burgundy with aromas of red fruit, citrus notes and hints of rose petals. In the mouth it is soft, juicy and fruity. A medium-bodied wine with nice acidity and fine-grained tannins. A wine for many years to come and here too we recommend decanting the wine in its younger years."

Press
Rated 91 points Cellartracker

"Shockingly concentrated for a Burgundy, damn that's dark! Cassis, plum, raspberry, and tonka beans, almost Bordeaux, wtf. The palate is much more apparently Burgundian, with loads of smoke, redcurrant, and Earl Grey, and suede-textured tannins. But still, the overall vibe is Bordeaux in Burgundy's clothes, cedar and vanilla emerging, wild, despite some more Pinot-oriented florals alongside. A fascinating oddball, and that smoky palate is really agreeing with me."