2020 Bourgogne Blanc Origines

Marsannay’s top producer might well be Jean Fournier, battling out with Sylvain Pataille and Bruno Clair (though the latter is advantaged by his enviable holdings). Fournier has much more modest parcels, but his real strength is that he takes them to their full potential. His 2020s were partly bottled in mid-February after one year in demi-muids and four months in stainless steel, though some will be bottled later in spring. “I picked from 25 August until 5 September,” he explained. “It was a curious ageing, always oxidative and reductive. But since racking, during the harvest, the wines have gained balance and become slightly creamy in texture with good salinity.” This was an impressive set of wines from Fournier packed full of flavour without compromising terroir expression. Incidentally, Fournier also mentioned that he has stopped his négoce label simply because the price of buying fruit has escalated too high.