2006 Gevrey Chambertin Les Champeaux

Grown cheek by jowl with his Les Goulots, Fourrier's 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux projects a less distinctively different personality than had the corresponding 2005. Tart, lightly-cooked, smoke-wreathed cherry and red raspberry mingle with smoked meat and bitter-sweet herbs. Like the Les Goulots, this has richness and reach but at least for now oddly little refinement. Instead, its grip is a bit scratchy. Still, it's early days for this admirably concentrated Gevrey that seems likely to be worth following for at least 7-9 years, and would probably best be forgotten for the first 3-4. 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.) Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990