2022 Marsannay Rouge, Trois Terres, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Jean Fournier, Burgundy

The 2022 Marsannay Trois Terres Vieilles Vignes has discrete touches of fish scale and black olive on the nose, married neatly with the black fruit. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet entry. Touches of fig and dates tincture the black fruit. Was this picked just a day or two later than optimal? It feels too sweet for my liking and compared to the previous vintage.

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 - 2034