2006 Gevrey Chambertin Les Goulots

Darkish crimson. Evolved leaf mould on the nose. Lots of bitter-cherry fruit. Attractive package that should not be undone until the tannins have receded a bit – though the acidity is pretty fierce. And it's a little hard on the finish. (JR)

Good deep red. Deeply pitched aromas of raspberry, redcurrant, minerals and smoked meat. Sweet, silky and rich, this fleshy midweight boasts good volume and density. As soft and fat as it is, it's still quite youthfully reserved. This is from a high and relatively cool site.

Sweeter and darker in fruit than most of the wines in this collection, Fourrier's 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Goulots – from parcels of 40 and 24 year old vines high up between Champeaux and Combes au Moines – projects cinnamon-spiced cherry and blackberry. With more grip and sheer palate saturation than the Cherbaudes, it hasn't however got any of that wine's remarkable complexity, vivacity, minerality or buoyancy. That noted, this is without question classic Gevrey, and its persistent richness of fruit and emerging smoky meatiness promise satisfaction over at least the next 6-8 years. ||Eyebrows as well as stakes in the Burgundy-buying game were raised when the prices of certain Fourrier 2006s came out well above those of 2005. Time will of course tell whether this new positioning "sticks," but there can be no overlooking either the consistently excellent results Jean-Marie Fourrier achieves, nor the extreme paucity and remarkable quality of his two most celebrated bottlings, particularly in this vintage. Jean-Claude Fourrier – with whom I tasted the majority of his son's 2006s – told me that contrary to usual practice here, the stems were removed from all of the fruit this year, because none were really ripe (i.e. truly lignified). (For more about Fourrier's always articulately and thoughtfully expressed methods, consult my report in issue 170.) Wine Advocate.December, 2009