Tasted in Milly with Jennifer Bernard, pictured with Jean-Luc Fourrey 12 March 2024.
Domaine Fourrey & Fils
6 Rue du Château
89800 Milly
Tel: +33 3 86 42 14 18
www.domaine-fourrey.com
Domaine Instagram
It’s currently the 4th generation here in the old part of Milly near the church. A domaine of 25 hectares, roughly 16 of which are in Chablis – all levels.
80% is bottled by the domaine, the rest sold in bulk. Jean-Luc Fourrey started at the domaine 30 years ago when his parents sold all of their production to négociants – he started with 7 ha of vines – the rest he planted over a number of years and he has recently started the conversion to organic farming.
Export is the major outlet for the vines – with 20 different countries – for the French market, sales are through multiple agents.
The wines…
A first visit here – there were many excellent wines !!
The 22s have mainly all been bottled – there’s a last bottling of the villages that’s currently underway. The first bottlings were in May 2023, followed by some in July. The grand crus are always after 12 months of elevage. The bottlings could be with screw-cap (to order), France under cork and the rest with a DIAM-style seal:
2022 Petit Chablis
It’s a very small production here – 0.9 ha here in Milly.
A broad, almost textured width of aroma – slightly floral. Hmm – that’s a juicy wine – lots of energy – the finish is the best part though with clarity and precision and slowly fading. I think it excellent – I’d carafe to open the nose a little more today.
2022 Chablis
16 ha of vines in Chablis
A more direct nose – more overtly mineral too. In the mouth, you find fine energy and a good mineral side to this wine. Also juicy and the minerals with a slightly reductive but also floral flourish in the end.
2021(!) Chablis Heritage
Vines planted in 2012 for the next generation – longer elevage but all tank.
Narrower but deeper aromas – almost a suggestion of botrytis in this. Large scale – open, fresh – great energy, tasty wine. The finish melts wonderfully well over the palate – I love it!
2022 Chablis 1er Côte de Lechet
Narrower, fresher, more purity of aroma – that’s a lovely invitation. Larger in scale and purity of flavour – vibrant and intense – also a subtle reduction in the finishing, mineral-led flavours. That’s a very classy, very Chablis wine – lovely!
2022 Chablis 1er Cote de Lechet Heritage
This made in jars of grès.
A less forward nose but of beautiful purity. Mouth-filling, faintly grained with tannin then a very wide finish, less open, but a more granular finishing complexity. This is lovely and very different to the last!
2022 Chablis 1er Fourneaux
A ceramic egg for elevage.
Direct, deep, mineral. Extra complexity in this wine – also with lots of scale – a finish with extra power and a fruit that’s more visible with ripe yellow citrus. I like it a lot!
2022 Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
Stainless elevage for this.
Here is some concentration and a little width of aroma. A wine of scale and concentration in the mouth too – extra complexity in this finish – it’s really vibrant – I love it – I wish more MdM were made without oak – like this, it’s excellent!
2022 Chablis 1er Vaillons
High part – Beugnons and Chatains
A nice width of aroma with a classical extra floral component – white flowers. Mobile, melting, lovely mineral energy, this is delicious and really complex too – the finish most obviously saline of all these wines. Slowly, slowly fading. I think it’s another really excellent – wine – so delicious!
2022 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
A small parcel here in true Fourchaume.
A more compact nose in the higher tones but still with good width. The classic more golden citrus fruit of Fourchaume but with super energy. But here is a wine of intensity combined with energy. I find it lovely – give me intensity over concentration any day – particularly in Chablis. A super wine.
2022 Chablis Vaudesir
The only wine with barrel elevage – 300-l barrels.
Another quite compact nose today – but with an impression of depth and silkiness. In the mouth this has a direct style – supported by extra concentration – the texture is, as the nose suggested, quite silky and has an accent of salinity too. The finish is rather relaxed but very persistent. A wine I’d carafe today or better still, wait 3-5 years – not because of any oak – it’s not visible – but to give the wine a chance to open out…
2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A parcel in Venoy – barrel elevage here.
High-toned, very berry fruit aroma – darker berries, faintly with gentian. Round in the mouth, with plenty of sweetness – almost a smoky element from the barrels – but a sweet fruit wine – no gentian in the flavours though there’s a faint caramel oak that could be masking that. Easy and deliciously flavoured wine today – lovely.