2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Cherbaudes 1er Cru

The biggest news at Domaine Fourrier is Jean-Marie Fourrier's decision to launch a small négociant operation to augment his estate wines. Readers can look forward to new bottlings from the 1er Cru Aux Exchanges in Chambolle-Musigny and two new Grand Cru wines from Clos de Vougeot and Echézeaux, all of which will debut with the 2011 vintage. As for 2010, Fourrier told me he is down 40% across the board in terms of yields. The cold weather during the flowering produced 100% millerandage (shot berries), which Fourrier described as pea-sized grapes. While that is not good for quantity, it has certainly turned out great for quality. Readers who want to learn more about Fourrier's thoughts on the vintage and approach to vinification might want to check out my video interview on this site. As a quick note, none of the 2010s had been racked at the time of my visit in early December 2011. I have kept scores a bit wider than normal in the few cases where the wines were a touch reduced.

Fourrier was understandably excited about the quality of his 2010s. "Quantities were down by 40%, and the berries were the size of peas," he told me. "I needed to buy a six-millimeter screen for the sorting table, and the ratio of skin to juice was fantastic. Thanks to our old vines we had nearly 100% millerandage, but with the acidity of 2008--a great combination." Potential alcohol levels ranged from 12.5% to 12.9% and the wines were not chaptalized, said Fourrier. He kept some of his wines in bulk during their debourbage to finish the alcoholic fermentations, as the tiny millerande berries were slow to release their sugar. This was one of the most exciting sets of 2010s I tasted in November, as the wines offer a rare combination of crystalline precision and power.