Domaine Fourrier
2000
Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" ♥
1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-93
Tasted: Jan 01, 2002
Drink: 2008-15
Issue: 5
Outstanding
Producer note: Jean-Marie Fourrier candidly explained that because there was so much rot in '00, he was obliged to treat his vines more than he prefers but that the green harvest helped not only eliminate excess crop but improved aeration as well, helping to keep the rot to manageable levels. Berry size was much bigger in '00 than in '99, and even after dropping a lot of crop, he didn't feel as though he had sufficient dry exact for the amount of juice and thus he did a saignée of between 5 to 8% for some wines. He also did more pigeage (punch downs) than normal; this is to say a whopping 4 times per day!
He also explained that the fermentations started almost immediately even though he had cooled the must to 12 degrees Centigrade. The malos were slow to begin as they didn't start until April and lasted as late as August. Since 97 he has tried not to rack his wines at all and these '00s had not been racked once, not even after the malos when the first racking typically occurs. He believes that extended aging on the lees produces more glycerol as well as keeps the wines very fresh.
Fourrier says that precision of fruit is what he was searching for with his 2000s as he is impressed with the vintage's purity. They will be bottled around April with no fining or filtration because he believes that almost every vintage needs an additional 6 to 8 months of élevage after the malos are finished. As an aside, Fourrier works as much as possible with CO2 and thus recommends decanting all of his wines before serving them; the rationale behind this is that he believes that the gas is a powerful preserver of wines and will keep them fresh longer while the tannic structure resolves itself.
The style of the Fourrier '00s is all about elegance and finesse. They are not particularly dense and certainly not over extracted or manipulated and few producers achieve this level of elegance, purity of fruit and impeccable balance.
Tasting note: Strikingly elegant nose of earth, pure pinot fruit and touch of game followed by sappy, gorgeously intense, mouth coating flavors of outstanding precision with a strong, persistent finish. The detail this delivers is really impressive and this will challenge the Rousseau as to which Clos St. Jacques is the best in '00.
