Jean-Marie FOURRIER these days besides his day-to-day duty as the winemaker for the renowned, Domaine FOURRIER. He has an additional responsibility as the father of the newly birth FOURRIER junior.
Jean-Marie has a lot to be envied by others. First of all, his family is one of the most important grape grower in the famous Gevrey-Chambertin village. He is also amongst the few who was trained by the great, Henri Jayer - The true maestro of Burgundy. Despite Jean-Marie is highly fluent with all the modern winemaking gadget during his early apprentischip in Domaine Drouhin of Oregon. He has however adopted the tradition winemaking when he returns to takeover the winemaking responsibility from his father, Jean-Claude FOURRIER.
My visit to Domaine FOURRIER has always prove to be particularly fruitful, especially in the context of learning more about winemaking and terroir of Burgundy. Jean-Marie loves to share his winemaking philosophy and is among the few I have known who can convey the message well (not entirely too technical yet still detailed). I started sharing my enthusiasm of 1998 Red burgundy, which has finally gotten over the cloud of the pass formidable personality. Jean-Marie agreed with my observation and is glad that, this vintage finally reclaimed it status. 1998 vintage was particulary marked by trouble - frost, hail (some area), oidium, rot (grey rot) were threatening the vintage quality. However, the extended harvest enables the grape to reach it full maturity. In the cellar, it was equally challenging. The "must" appeared to consume the sulphur rapidly during the élevage. Many panic vignerons in fear of their wine without adequate SO2 to protect against oxygent judiciously added more sulphur. It was believed through such act, the 1998 reds remained at "reductive" stage for many years. Adding to this belief, Jean-Marie also told me that, he began to question that, besides occassionally the OD (overdosed of sulphur) situation in the cuverie, the early sulphur treatment carry-out in the vineyard to treat oidium where the same sulphur can be inherited by the grape and later causes the wines to become reductive. The same happened with some of the 2004s, according to FOURRIER. To prevent such problem, early sulphur combating against oidium is essential to avoid where the situation escalate and more sulphur are needed to control the spread.
FOURRIER is meticulous about every stages of élevage. When I ask him what causes the random oxidation, his views was, careless élevage. He quoted that, "you never find a bottle of Jayer's wine of such problem". In fact, one of my personal clue to taste Jayer's wine in blind is their impeccable, bright and healthy color (often shown more youthfulness than the age suggest) combined lively palate and the unmistakable new wood component. "One should never rush their élevage", said FOURRIER. Besides, all our wines are aged under the atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which naturally protect against oxygen (no addition of sulphur is required), we also carry two set of barrels (only 20% new) to enable us to have the leisure to lengthen the ageing if required. After a full 18 months in barrel, we often bottle them late in April (when the weather turning warm), which FOURRIER stressed that, "it is through my experience that, the aromatic quality in wine is better preserve under warmer atmosphere during bottling. In the contrary, when wine is bottled under cool environment, very often, the wine aromatic is being trapped". He also chose to rack his wine (only once, prior to bottling) in the similar warm atmosphere to give a slight oxidation, to prevent the wine being too reductive due to the early aging in CO2.
Jean-Marie has a lot to be envied by others. First of all, his family is one of the most important grape grower in the famous Gevrey-Chambertin village. He is also amongst the few who was trained by the great, Henri Jayer - The true maestro of Burgundy. Despite Jean-Marie is highly fluent with all the modern winemaking gadget during his early apprentischip in Domaine Drouhin of Oregon. He has however adopted the tradition winemaking when he returns to takeover the winemaking responsibility from his father, Jean-Claude FOURRIER.
My visit to Domaine FOURRIER has always prove to be particularly fruitful, especially in the context of learning more about winemaking and terroir of Burgundy. Jean-Marie loves to share his winemaking philosophy and is among the few I have known who can convey the message well (not entirely too technical yet still detailed). I started sharing my enthusiasm of 1998 Red burgundy, which has finally gotten over the cloud of the pass formidable personality. Jean-Marie agreed with my observation and is glad that, this vintage finally reclaimed it status. 1998 vintage was particulary marked by trouble - frost, hail (some area), oidium, rot (grey rot) were threatening the vintage quality. However, the extended harvest enables the grape to reach it full maturity. In the cellar, it was equally challenging. The "must" appeared to consume the sulphur rapidly during the élevage. Many panic vignerons in fear of their wine without adequate SO2 to protect against oxygent judiciously added more sulphur. It was believed through such act, the 1998 reds remained at "reductive" stage for many years. Adding to this belief, Jean-Marie also told me that, he began to question that, besides occassionally the OD (overdosed of sulphur) situation in the cuverie, the early sulphur treatment carry-out in the vineyard to treat oidium where the same sulphur can be inherited by the grape and later causes the wines to become reductive. The same happened with some of the 2004s, according to FOURRIER. To prevent such problem, early sulphur combating against oidium is essential to avoid where the situation escalate and more sulphur are needed to control the spread.
FOURRIER is meticulous about every stages of élevage. When I ask him what causes the random oxidation, his views was, careless élevage. He quoted that, "you never find a bottle of Jayer's wine of such problem". In fact, one of my personal clue to taste Jayer's wine in blind is their impeccable, bright and healthy color (often shown more youthfulness than the age suggest) combined lively palate and the unmistakable new wood component. "One should never rush their élevage", said FOURRIER. Besides, all our wines are aged under the atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which naturally protect against oxygen (no addition of sulphur is required), we also carry two set of barrels (only 20% new) to enable us to have the leisure to lengthen the ageing if required. After a full 18 months in barrel, we often bottle them late in April (when the weather turning warm), which FOURRIER stressed that, "it is through my experience that, the aromatic quality in wine is better preserve under warmer atmosphere during bottling. In the contrary, when wine is bottled under cool environment, very often, the wine aromatic is being trapped". He also chose to rack his wine (only once, prior to bottling) in the similar warm atmosphere to give a slight oxidation, to prevent the wine being too reductive due to the early aging in CO2.
Besides his highly accomplished cellar work, to him "quality, is 80% from the vineyard", said FOURRIER. To any, who has the issue of what Burgundy called, terroir, or what Matt Kramer would called the "somewhere-ness" in wine. FOURRIER's wines could well demonstrate this phenomenon. All his wines are very distinctive, despite a certain uniform style of FOURRIER could be trace. You can often expect that almost Vosne-Romanée like spices, with telltale Gevrey's earth. Firm and often quite reserve (which decanting is highly recommended), however, once you passed that, the intensity will begin to build on your palate. His wine is both detail and linear, and very stylish. Once you have tasted his vineyard from Combe-de-Lavaux sector, an additional mineral component will set in. His Gevery 1er Cru Les Goulots, Combe Aux Moines and Clos St.-Jacques generally tasted cooler, better sap and more pronounce of minerality, compared to his Les Cherbaudes (underneath Mazis Chambertin) and village lieu-dit, Aux Echézeaux.
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