Domaine Fourrier is one of the finest addresses in the Côte de Nuits, full stop. Jean-Marie Fourrier took over the family domaine in 1994, trained under the legendary Henri Jayer and at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon, and has built a reputation for wines of exceptional purity, balance and precision. His old vines — many planted between the wars — are the foundation of everything.
Vieilles Vignes is a blend of 12 different parcels, most on the better western side of the route nationale, from vines of 60 years old and above. The 2017 has a clean, precise and very focused bouquet that gains intensity with aeration — medium-bodied, with plenty of tart red fruit laced with cedar and graphite, leading to a pointed, persistent and classic finish. Aromatic, lifted and elegant on opening, with sappy red fruit and a friendly, genuine charm.
2017 is a vintage that rewards those who know where to look. The reds are packed with delicate red berry fruit, subtle chalky tannins and crisp acidity — fresh, transparent and juicy, with a classic Burgundian Pinot Noir profile and a transparency that reflects the terroir of each vineyard with precision. Precise, terroir-driven and fresh — someone labelled 2017 a "modern classic," a phrase that resonated. At a producer like Fourrier, with this quality of old vine fruit, the vintage sings.
This is a back vintage, professionally stored in bond in the UK since release. Drinking well from 2021, with a window through to 2036. The best of it is still ahead.