Tasted in Marsannay-la-Côte with Laurent Fournier, 05 July 2023.
Domaine Jean Fournier
29, rue du Château
21160 Marsannay-la-Côte
Tel: +33 3 80 52 24 38
More reports with Domaine Jean Fournier
Laurent on 2023 – so far:
“We are leaf thinning to help reduce the oïdium, the rain isn’t a lot but it’s been regular. We do plan some green harvesting too but will wait for the veraison to set in so it will be another 2-3 weeks before we do that.”
Laurent on 2022:
“We didn’t have any miracles for volumes but we managed to get to our target of around 45 hl/ha. Clean, ripe but not too ripe, so the alcohols are not too high. It’s looking good.”
Laurent on 2021:
“Very small volumes in the Côte de Beaune. Most other parcels – except Marsannay which had some very good parcels – we averaged over 30 hl/ha so we are happy. It usually came down to the timing of the pruning – late but not too late – probably the lowest in Marsannay was 10-12 hl/ha. I always keep some percentage of the production back for new customers, etcetera, and to balance out problems but it’s true that most of the production of our 2021s is already sold… I did bottle a little earlier but it was a vintage that gained a lot of depth in elevage so I still made a second winter of elevage – but not much more as I considered some of the wines could be a little fragile. The maturity was enough though so I didn’t really change the amount of whole-clusters that I used – roughly between a third and a half were retained. 21 has a style that shows fine definition of – at least of our ideas – of how the terroir should show.”
Talking with Laurent about how he’s working on vine replacements: “I’m very happy with the replacement plants that I’m using but to get them going in the first years is a nightmare; we almost put them to bed at night with a warm drink to keep them going on their way – 30 years ago you simply planted them and left them…”
The wines…
Laurent knocked it out of the park in 2021 – multiple wines that are worth a special search – you could save yourself some of the effort and take a mixed case!
“DIAM is working well for whites – I wasn’t sure for the reds – some tests worked well for DIAM Origine in the reds but the 21 vintage has much more expressive quality with normal cork in 21 so I remain unconvinced here.”
All the young vines from Marsannay and a hectare of vines that could produce rosé here – ‘but we don’t make a lot of rosé.’
Round, nicely precise and with an attractive sweetness. Supple, depth to this concentration, and a silkiness. Very modestly cushioned and so, so, drinkable – simply a top Bourgogne, finishing long and interesting – what a great start!
2021 Marsannay St.Urban
The name St.Urban refers to the small tower behind the domaine – the monastery was burned down by the Swiss soldiers. Multiple parcels, typically with vine ages from 10-30 years-old.
A width of higher-toned notes, more floral. Incisive, fine shape – a shimmering freshness and energy – the wc perfume is modestly visible in these flavours. A peak of juicy finishing flavour – broader and deeper than the Bourgogne – simply excellent villages.
‘We were about 25 hl/ha in this area.’
A broad depth and slightly narrower but there are very attractive higher floral tones. Hmm, now we are talking – fuller but with a very fine freshness and a leading edge of clarity and super shape – it’s young but I love it anyway – almost juicy but still deep finishing. Great villages.
2 parcels – Clos Prieur and Clos Bruillard – ‘always low yielding both younger vines – but two different maturities so can’t vinify together.’
A more airy style and perfumed to this nose but with no less volume than the Fixin – just less impact. Hmm, sinuous, open, a high-toned clarity like the nose. I love this texture – that’s another super wine – fine intensity too. More finesse and elegance than the Fixin, creamy finishing today.
2017 was the first domaine vintage. ‘Three parcels, one not great placed, one not bad the other a great place in Les Combes.’ This the 5th vintage with the conversion from the previous conventional approach
A different shape – these aromas are broad in the red-fruit depth and narrower in the higher tones. Nicely direct and with a lovely freshness and vibrant complexity – not too full – that’s super even after the CdN wines before it. Top Aloxe village!
2021 Marsannay Le Chapitre
The oldest vines in this plot date from 1947 and 1948. This is one of the earliest-ripening plots of the domaine – it flowers here 1 week before Gevrey. Each year, a fair proportion of the grapes are lost to wild boar because there is no hunting allowed here. The 2nd vintage with young and old vines assembled.
A very different style of direct, herbed, freshness of aroma but with such attractive red fruited accents. Mouth-filling – super volume, clarity and energy – the structure – or rather, architecture, is more obvious but shows nothing hard or pointy. Super finishing wine too – keep longer than any of the previous wines but always drink with joy and much interest!
2021 Marsannay Clos du Roy
A fuller and cleary more complex nose – effectively a more comfortable nose. A hint of reduction – but there’s extra scale and depth of flavour to this wine – it could be a 1er cru 😉 That’s just a wonderfully absorbing almost slightly hedonistic wine – too good!
2021 Marsannay Longeroies
4.9 ha in Longeroies, keeping the best 3 hectares for this wine. Will wait a little longer before bottling this wine – ‘I like to finish in May before it gets too warm.’ More iron and silica in the soil – despite more south-facing it’s later maturing because of the wind that comes down the combes…
More an aromatic panorama here, less overtly deep or higher toned but style impressively wide. Hmm, here is an intensity – a narrow, laser-like, beam of initial flavour that then melts over the palate – airy and complex – very perfumed – the tannin supports the wine but has no overt grain. Finishing a little juicy and approaching blood-orange – a beauty – keep it 3-4 years before broaching!
A cool plot, always later to harvest – ‘but always good grapes.’
High tones, lots of complexity – a fine and absorbing aromatic – becoming beautifully perfumed. Hmm, but the shape, texture and structure shows that this wine is very well placed – the complexity of Clos du Roy with less richness – a wonderfully, deliciously fluid wine – bravo!
1 hectare of vines: ‘It’s my weekend work here – so I don’t see so many of the other producers! The first time I ploughed here I thought I don’t remember the grass like this – Ouch it wasn’t my row of vines! For me a perfect example of pinot with super vines and beautiful small clusters – lots of redness in the soil. I’ll be making a massale selection from here. We had very low volume here like in 2016 – only 1 barrel this vintage
A darker and fresher nose. Hmm – but this has a presence in the mouth; an architectural volume and a texture – if not quite the fluidity (but close) of the Es Chezots. Beautifully, slowly fading flavour. If I could only take one of these it would be the previous wine – but this is simply excellent and also potentially great!
The vines here in Brochon were planted between 1936 and 1939 – they always deliver millerande bunches – One of the last vintages of this – could soon be classed as Fixin – also a very low volume in this vintage.
A little more vertical aroma – super depth and the top notes are very attractive too. More direct, here is a fluid wine with an interplay between the flavours and structure. Bursting across the palate in the finish. Not a large wine – but a great one for the label – just so satisfying!
Les Whites:
“I’m happy with the volume of Aligoté – they were hardly touched by the frost – 40-45 hl/ha:”
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté Cuvée St.Urbain
Forward, a hint saline and really attractive – that’s a great invitation. A direct start before flooding the palate with flavour energy. Wide, tasty and with a good finish too – excellent Bourgogne!
2021 (Marsannay) Aligoté Champs Forey Vieilles-Vignes
Fresh top notes with more depth and faintly golden fruit. Some gas here, broad, more composed – beautiful clarity – the finish is a real beauty – that’s a simply super wine – and completely delicious too.
In Savigny, old vines but can only estimate a planting-date of around 1920 as there is no paper-trail for these.
A different style – extra depth in this width of aroma. Hmm – a rounder wine – but of concentration and intensity – such a strong core of flavour, accented with the barrel today so I’d wait a couple of years – perhaps 3. But beautifully textured, slightly tannic, concentrated yet with invigorating balance – a potentially great one!
The chardonnays – sort of!:
2021 Bourgogne Origines Cuvée Speciale
No chardonnay – a blend of pinot blanc (officially one-third) and pinot gris.
Plenty of colour. A richer nose of silk. Mouth-filling wine, but joyously juicy and finishing with such energy. This juicy aspect begs you to take the next sip!
2021 Marsannay St.Urban Blanc
A little chardonnay rose in here from this vintage, mainly the ‘blanc’ version though – 600-litre barrels in the main…
Depth and very attractive high-toned freshness. Hmm. I like the structure – the shape, of this. Juicy, complex and far too drinkable – vin dangereus! I’d give it an extra year to lessen a hint of creamy oak in the finishing flavour.
Following not bottled but were racked 3 weeks ago:
2021 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc
All chardonnay from 20-40-year-old vines. The youngest vines planted ‘HD’ at 20k per hectare
A calmer more generous width of aroma with a faint creamy oak note. Incisive, almost some visibility to the CO2 too. Complex, open and with very fine open, flavour – of precision. That’s so very good and finishing slightly chalky too!
2021 Marsannay Longeroies Blanc
Also all chardonnay, planted at a density of 13,000 vines per hectare.
Larger in the high tones. Ooh – that’s the most impressive combination of scale and juicy energy – also the wine where the oak is the least visible. Slowly fading. A beautiful wine – yum!