Domaine Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Champeaux

Berries, ripe fruit, current, clear and resolved with detailed spice. With air it becomes a touch simpler and flatter. 93

Bottles purchased on release. Floral with red currant, brown sugar, cured meat and spice. Well made for the vintage. Slightly short on the finish. At its peak.

During a Paulee dinner so only brief impressions. Great nose of cured meat, spices, red current, barnyard funk. As good as it gets. This will challenge any Rousseau.

This was really good. A rich dark fruited nose (lots of black cherry) almost brooding in nature. On the palate, this is rich with cherry and damp earth. Came back later in the dinner and the nose opened up significantly with more floral notes. Lovely stuff.

Dinner at RPM Steak (Chicago, IL) : The nose has a bit of that dirty sur-maturite that I associate very closely with 1997 red Burgundies. Red-fruited, with a slight bit of funk. The palate is showing the same ripe red fruit and earth, though this is still slightly tight. With a bit more air, the aromatics and flavours started to blossom even more. Textbook showing, though I expected more.

Dinner at RPM Steak (RPM Steak - Chicago, IL) : Took a bit for the aroma to build in complexity. Showed a very ripe and one-noted nose at first with mostly black fruit. After some air, it took on some damp earth notes and some nice floral notes. Palate was delicious...a darker profile than some other Fourrier's I've had...but still delicious!

Quick impressions LP : Quite good nose, not that much body and length, but elegant and balanced

Red Burgundy Tasting: Overachiving 1er Crus VS. Underachiving Grand Crus (La Silhouette) : Tasted blind. Great nose. Sweet spice, meaty, sauvage, violets and roses, strawberry fruit - just gorgeous. Creamy and bright strawberry fruit on the palate. Cherry and iron. Sweet. Meaty and mature. Really in the sweet spot right now - almost Dujac-like in its perfume and purity. Nose - 5.5-6/6, Palate - 6/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je Ne Sais Quoi - 2/2 = 19-19.5/20.

surprisingly good based on the "drink by" date. Good color, palate, length on finish

Domaine Fourrier Dinner with Jean-Marie and Vicki Fourrier (Le Cafe Anglais, Notting Hill, London) : More developed, spicy nose with sous-bois and a little farmyard and meat fat overlaying red cherry fruit. Cool, elegant and mature on the palate, more fruity than the nose with slightly bruised, mature red cherry and plum fruit, vibrant acidity which really carries the good length finish. Delicious, gained in richness with time in glass.

Domaine Fourrier Dinner with Jean-Marie and Vicki Fourrier (Le Café Anglais, Bayswater, London) : Dark, pretty, sappy with red fruits, sweet and smoky, some sweatiness

Pale, smoky red color with plenty of thinning at the rim. On the nose, this shows some cherry notes with sous bois and roasted meat elements. On the palate, the roasted meat character dominates with some mushroom coming on the back of the palate. Faint cherry notes show on a medium-long finish that closes with some coarse tannins. This appears to be on the decline, likely due to the '97-ness' of it. Drink up.

At it's peak now. Impcable balance. Drink now and over the next few years...