2022 Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Jean Fournier, Burgundy

The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Village is a blend of Clos Prieur and Clos Brouillard. It has a light blackberry, tobacco, and pencil box nose that gradually opens in the glass but remains a bit aloof. The medium-bodied palate has a sweet entry, offering pastille-like black cherries and cassis with a light, slightly simplistic finish. Fine, easy-drinking Gevrey.

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 2025 - 2030

From Creux Brouillard and the villages portion of Clos Prieur.

A fresh and overtly floral-suffused nose speaks of various dark berries cut with notes of the sauvage and humus hints. There is a slightly better vibrancy to the attractively textured medium-weight flavours that possess a caressing, even seductive, mouthfeel, all wrapped in a mildly rustic finish. This, too, could use more energy, though again, that may come with time.

Drink 2029

A bright, ruby purple. The fruit avoids the simple strawberry approach to Gevrey for something darker and more complex. The bouquet is exquisite, and so is the balance of the wine in the glass. There is a lot going on here, a dark red fruit, with a nutty note alongside. Early days yet, and there is every chance that the slightly funkier element will be entirely over-ruled by the considerable positive aspects of this wine.

Drink 2028 - 2034