2007 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru
By Domaine Fourrier
2007 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Fourrier, Burgundy
Enveloping the senses with a dignified allure, the 2007 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Fourrier is a testament to the harmonious interplay of nature's elements and human craftsmanship. In the theatre of Burgundy's vintages, the year 2007 stands distinct with its climatic challenges that have coaxed out a grandeur in this poised elixir.
A Year of Grace under Duress
The year was marked by its weather patterns that teetered between extremes. An unseasonably warm April hastened the vine cycles, only to be confounded by a cool summer and an atypically soggy August. Yet, undeterred by the heavens' whims, Domaine Fourrier's meticulous vine management culminated in a harvest that can only be described as precociously elegant.
The 2007 Griottes Chambertin encapsulates this intriguing duality. On the nose, it evokes a compendium of cherries both ripe and tart – 'Griottes' cherry indeed – intermingled with an autumnal underbrush and sophisticated touches of minerality. The palate is treated to a ballet of precise tannins, resonating with the subtle power of perfectly integrated oak.
A Vintage for the Veneered Collector
This wine is a composition that eschews simplicity for depth, lightness for longevity. Even now, as it slowly unfurls its layers, it reveals shades of complexity only whispered at release. The terroir's legendary minerality is here made manifest amidst an orchestra of berries and earthy tones.
For the seasoned investor or the collector who revels in nuances, this nuanced vintage presents an illustrious addition to one’s portfolio. In its fine balance lies an opulence that does not shout but rather hums—a melody that will continue to resonate through time.
In the symphony of Burgundies, Domaine Fourrier's maestros have once again crafted an aria with their 2007 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru. For those with discerning palates and an eye for vinous treasures, this vintage holds promise not just for gustatory delight but also as an asset well poised for appreciation.
Market price (HKD)
HK$77,710.00
12x75cl
Highest score
92
POP score
677.5
Scores and tasting notes
The Fourrier 2007 Griotte-Chambertin offers a formidable, if rather austere, amalgam of cyanic cherry pit, chalk, and black pepper that impinges tactilely on the palate backed by abundant firm, fine-grained tannins. Licorice and dark cherry inform a fresh juicy fruit layer admirably transparent to the display of mineral density and tannic force playing out beneath. This gripping, and for its vintage, surprisingly stern Pinot looks set to be worth following for 12-15 years though its personality will probably always remain in the dark side. Jean-Claude Fourrier left no doubt that he viewed 2008 under the aspect of a return to times and conditions he thought his generation would never have to face. “The most important determinant of quality in your range,” in 2008, he asserted, “was how willing you were to sacrifice on the sorting table.” He had only just bottled his 2008s when I tasted them at the end of February – with the exception of two wines that remained in tank, one a Combottes he had just warmed-up in a last ditch effort to push it across the lactic conversion line! “By last October,” he explains, “I was facing the situation that 5 casks out of 7 were at 80% of malic acid and the others at 20%. So you have the choice either to heat your cellar, or to make the – for me, painful – decision to bring the wine back together into vat for promoting natural inoculation. Otherwise, I would have been waiting until April, and I can hardly even consider two full years in cask for my wines To be honest, I hated my ‘08s for the first 14 months.” Primary fermentation also took place this year in large part through inoculation by utilizing whichever lots spontaneously kicked-in first as starters, because as Fourrier explained, “I’m not a fan of extended cold maceration, which means adding sulfur,” and with the ambient temperatures at which the 2008 fruit arrived in the press house, it could have taken a long time for many fermentations to commence. Potential alcohols were in the low to mid 11s, and boosted by at most a degree, lower total alcohol being one throwback to “the old days” that Fournier appreciates, “except,” as he notes, that back “in those days growers were mistakenly fixated on sugar, and chaptalization.” Fourrier finds his 2007s phenolically riper than his 2008s, but they were not showing an especially user-friendly side on the occasion when I tasted them, leading me to wonder where they’re headed, or whether they were experiencing a collective period of withdrawal. (For more about Fourrier’s always articulately and thoughtfully expressed methods – as well as about his vineyards – consult my reports in issues 170 and 186.) Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990
David Schildknecht - The Wine Advocate, 28 June 2010