A rather pretty Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru 2006 from Fourrier

In his excellent new book Inside Burgundy the top (and rather florid) geezer Jasper Morris MW describes Gevrey-Chambertin wines as being those Burgundies which most fit the ‘international’ idiom of dark and oaky red wines. I can see that with very many of that village’s wines, but the ones that really tweak my fancy have a bit more restrained beauty than such a characterisation would suggest. This wine does the ‘minimalist pleasure’ thing with a satisfying degree of élan.

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Fourrier have recently taken to sealing their bottles with a wax capsule. This normally looks terribly nice, but means one is going to make an awful mess when trying to get the bugger off. The back label on this wine promises that the capsule can be easily cut off and I am pleased to report they can, with only moderate fouling up of the little knife on my trusty corkscrew.

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Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Les Goulots Vieille Vigne 2006, Domaine Fourrier

Yum, what an attractive nose! Lovely, pure strawberry fruit that works with a subtle mineral character to give a complete impression of being really rather charming. No heavy oak or alcohol burn here, it is just a delightfully captivating set of aromas that are fetching from the first sniff. It smells like all one could ask from a pretty Pinot. The palate has soft, silky tannins and good acidity, but it is that fresh strawberry fruit which is really slapping a smile on my face. That is not to say I find it lacking in terms of complexity or vineyard character – it is just a rather comely little number. I have some (albeit not epic) experience with this vineyard, and I think cool elegance is what we want from it. It may be a cat-walk size 0 model rather than Lolo Ferrari, but some people have been smothered to death by large bouncers, you know? Delightful, pop soonish or in five-plus years time.

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