1996 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St-Jacques Vieille Vigne

Domaine Fourrier is a 22.5-acre estate in the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Nuits. In the mid-20th century this domaine was called Pernot-Fourrier, and it is now run by Jean-Marie Fourrier, who took over from his father Jean-Claude in 1995. Jean-Marie worked for Henri Jayer and Domaine Drouhin in Oregon before returning to the family estate. Since his return the domaine’s wines have earned high praise from wine writers, including Clive Coates, who has written of Jean-Marie: “This young man is a thinker…There are brilliant wines here.” Jean-Claude is considered a rising star in Burgundy and Coates has more recently written that “The Fourrier estate is one of the very best in Burgundy.” The domain has a parcel of Grand Cru Griotte-Chambertin, and Premier Cru parcels in Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Morey-Saint-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny.

Clos St. Jacques is a 17.7-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation of Burgundy. Most Burgundy experts consider Clos St. Jacques to often be of equal quality to the nearby Grand Crus Chambertin and Clos de Beze. When the vineyard rankings were made in the 1930s it was decided that only vineyards contiguous with Chambertin and Clos de Beze could be Grand Crus. Clos St. Jacques lies to the west of the Grand Crus, but is very well situated at the same elevation as Chambertin and it has soil similar to Chambertin’s. Clive Coates notes that Clos St. Jacques “can be exquisite; rich, ample, full-bodied and distinctive.” Principal landowners are Armand Rousseau, 5.6 acres; Sylvie Esmonin, 4.5 acres; and Bruno Clair, 2.5 acres.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.