Transcending Its Category
2011 Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin VV
Gorgeous, Overachieving Gevrey
"These were among the most beautiful wines that I tasted during my visit." -John Gilman
For fans of Fourrier, there's no surprise here - in 2011 he killed it, again.
Today, I'm excited to turn my focus to Fourrier's 2011 Gevrey-Chambertin VV for $74.95.
On paper, Fourrier's Gevrey is a basic village wine, but in reality it's anything but basic. Like the village wines from Roumier and Coche-Dury, Fourrier is so skilled, so exacting, that his village Gevrey transcends the category by a long shot.
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Fourrier's style is pure and stylish. Yet, for all the glamour, all the style, there is also substance. It's an extreme balance in a way, because the bright, perfumed fruit is countered by a very firm spine, a limestone-inspired minerality, a whip-smart tension.
Above all, there is a transparent elegance, and it's this quality that goes a long way in explaining why Fourrier's wines have blown up.
Few producers were able to capture the degree of finesse and sleek verve out of 2011 vintage the way that Fourrier was. His 2011 Gevrey makes this clear. We've tasted the wine a couple of times now and really can't get over its fineness of minerality and its overall precision.
I tasted the 2011 last weekend at the La Paulée walk around tasting and was really happy with how much it's improved since that last time I tasted. It's really a beautiful, emphatically mineral edition of this wine.
Fourrier's Gevrey is a wine that I watch serious collectors stock up on every vintage. The wine improves considerably from a handful of years of aging. Not to mention that the combination of straight up deliciousness with the breeding and clarity is hard to resist.
2011 is yet another reminder of Fourrier's masterful skill and of how much his Gevrey overdelivers. There's not much more that needs to be said. Some wines just speak for themselves, and I've likely said too much already.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
John Gilman: "The 2011 Gevrey Vieilles Vignes from Jean-Marie Fourrier is the finest of this lovely quartet of village wines, with a bit more mineral drive and precision than the other three this year. The bouquet is a fine mélange of cherries, strawberries, a touch of grilled meat, lovely minerality, roses and fresh herbs in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and tangy, with a fine core, lovely transparency, moderate tannins and a long, youthful and vibrant finish. Lovely villages."