2022 Marsannay Rouge, Les Longeroies, Domaine Jean Fournier, Burgundy

Dense dark purple in the centre, crimson at the rim. Quite a concentration of bright dark fruit, with a more lifted red berry core, attractively balanced, a Marsannay which will repay keeping. The tannins are well integrated at the finish.

Drink 2028 - 2033

From a huge holding of 5 ha planted to pinot plus more in Chardonnay.

Reduction blocks all but subtle floral nuances from piercing the funk. By contrast, there is a lovely underlying tension to the well-detailed and stony flavours that possess slightly better volume on the firm, dusty and bitter pit fruit-inflected finish that offers just a bit more depth and persistence. Note that at least some patience will be necessary.

Drink 2030+

The 2022 Marsannay Les Longeroies offers blackberry, wild hedgerow and forest floor scents on the nose, with a faint hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit and fine tannins. There is a little compactness towards the finish at the moment, but it is surfeit with freshness and tension. A hint of white pepper surfaces on the aftertaste. What a lovely Marsannay this will be.

The final visit during my six-week marathon was to see Laurent Fournier. I have praised his wines for quite a few years now, and he’s always a fun person to taste with, chatty and animated. “We were not impacted by the storm at the end of June,” he tells me at his winery in Marsannay. “The vintage respected the terroirs. I started picking on 31 August. I decided to pick the Aligoté one week earlier than planned, as it was ripening so quickly. There was only a little problem finishing the end of the fermentation, but otherwise, it was straightforward.” These excellent wines lean more towards the black side of the fruit spectrum, and Fournier is a skilled winemaker who exploits the full potential of his modest holdings. They represent some of the best values in this report, and I cannot recommend them enough.

Drink 2026 - 2036