2009 Griotte Chambertin
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Medium red. Slightly high-toned aromas of blackberry, black raspberry, violet and licorice. The high-toned quality carries through in the mouth, where the sappy-sweet black and blue fruit flavors are complicated by saline soil tones. Less creamy than some of Fourrier's 2009 premier crus, this very firmly structured, long wine will demand patience. The lovely lift on the back end suggests that it has the energy for a long evolution. Fourrier now gets all his corks from a single supplier in Corsica, who simply steams them and does not use a peroxide solution.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is a relatively delicate, ethereal wine with expressive aromatics and understated fruit. Deceptively medium in body, the Griotte needs time to flesh out a bit, but it is a stunner. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Count me among the Burgundy fans who are thrilled Jean-Marie Fourrier chose not to pursue the career as a commercial airline pilot for which he studied. Fourrier began picking on September 17. The fruit was destemmed. Cuvaison lasted around 14 days but Fourrier commented that he had an unusually high (50%) amount of shot berries, which had the effect of extending the fermentations for another week or so. The malos started and ended early, hence Fourrier decided to bottle early as well. Per his usual practice, Fourrier left the wines on the lees with no racking until the wines were prepared for bottling. On average the wines saw 20% new oak. I tasted all of the 2009s from bottle. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990
(still in barrel) Good bright medium red. Blueberry, smoke and musky minerality on the nose. Sweet, lush, savory and deep, with strong soil tones currently dominating primary fruits. Dense and fat with material, but not a particularly fruity style. This wonderfully lush and rather powerful wine is all about soil. Finishes very long, with lush, broad tannins and some chalky energy to leaven its full ripeness.
The 2009 Griotte-Chambertin is a relatively delicate, ethereal wine with expressive aromatics and understated fruit. Deceptively medium in body, the Griotte needs time to flesh out a bit, but it is a stunner. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. May 2011, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Domaine Fourrier is located in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. The estate has been run by Jean-Marie Fourrier since 1994, and has rapidly become one of the village’s most fashionable names, known for producing pure and transparent Pinot Noir.