Earlier this year James spent a few days in Burgundy foraging for new talent and this is one of the new growers we are really excited to start working with.
“These are super wines from Marsannay; authentic Pinot Noir and top whites including a very good Aligoté unlike any other I have tasted.” James Nicholson
Domaine Jean Fournier is one of the oldest in the village of Marsannay-la Côte and the family farm an area of approx. 16 ha. Today, the domain is in the hands of Jean’s son, Laurent, who has been in sole charge since 2003. Laurent isn’t afraid to make bold choices and go his own way. He is young, passionate and loves to and innovate. Blessed with great vineyard sites and old vines giving him superb grapes, he experiments to find the best way to enhance the natural character of the fruit. He is using less wood and cutting back on the use of sulphites. He also doesn’t like ageing his wine in stainless steel which he finds ‘gives the wine a cold character’; instead, he prefers the results he gets using concrete vats.
Laurent has caught the attention of wine critic Neal Martin too.
“Laurent Fournier, a man who, along with Sylvain Pataille and Bruno Clair, is making Marsannay one of the most exciting and up-and-coming appellations in the Côte d'Or. (…) this domaine is one that is at the top of its game. In particular, check out his stunning expressions of Bourgogne Aligoté that will change your perception of this oft-maligned variety.”(Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.)
Jean Fournier Aligoté Champ Forey 2013.
Bottle Price: £16.50 / €24.50 Offer Price: £14.02 / €20.82
“The 2013 Bourgogne Aligoté Champ Forey comes from 85-year-old vines, with a touch of Melon de Bourgogne. It has a very expressive bouquet with yellow flowers and dried apricot scents – both precise and vivacious. The palate is medium-bodied with hints of mango and apricot again, a keen thread of acidity and touch of hazelnut and quince on the finish. There is a digestif element about this Aligoté that is beguiling, completing what is an excellent Aligoté. “ 89points, Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.
Jean Fournier Marsannay Les Longeroies Blanc 2013
Bottle Price: £18.99 / €35.99 Offer Price: £16.14 / €30.59
“The 2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies Blanc comes from 5-, 9- and 10-year-old vines planted at 13,000 vines per hectare–a mix of massale and clonal selection. It has a delightful bouquet of peach, mango and passion fruit–quite forward and generous, good volume here, if not quite the sophistication of its peers. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity. There is a mint, almost licorice-like exoticism to this Marsannay, without losing precision on the finish. No, there is not enormous length, but it has real character. Delicious!” 90 points. Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.
Jean Fournier Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2013
Bottle Price: £16.50 / €24.50 Offer Price: £14.02 / €20.82
“The 2013 Bourgogne Rouge is the only cuvée from the domaine that does not include any whole bunch, matured in 350-, 500- and 600-liter barrels, with just a smidgen of new oak. It has an uncomplicated, clean and fresh cranberry and strawberry-scented bouquet. The palate is full of crunchy red berry fruit mixed with bell pepper and beetroot toward the finish. Enjoy this over the next couple of years.” 85 points. Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.
Jean Fournier Marsannay St Urbain 2013
Bottle Price: £21.00 / €29.99 Offer Price: £17.85 / €25.49
“The 2013 Marsannay Cuvée Saint-Urbain comes from five parcels in Les Ouzeloy, plus younger vines in three other lieux-dits and includes 25% whole-bunch fruit and 15% new oak. There is good volume on the nose, with dark plum and cranberry fruit, perhaps a touch of pomegranate coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm tannins, a little chalky in the mouth at the moment but with sufficient poise and precision on the crunchy, bell-pepper tinged finish. Not bad at all, though I was more taken with its white counterpart.” 87 points. Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.
Jean Fournier Marsannay Les Longeroies Rouge 2013
Bottle Price: £24.95 / €35.99 Offer Price: £21.20 / €30.59
“The 2013 Marsannay Les Longeroies contains around 45% whole-bunch fruit and was picked after the Clos du Roy as usual. It has an expressive bouquet with cassis and violet-scents soaring from the glass, though at the moment it is more primal than the Clos du Roy. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, nicely focused, though very tight and broody on the finish. It will round up by the time it is bottled, but I would afford it a couple of years in bottle.” 89-90 points. Neal Martin, erobertparker.com, June 2015.
