Great Rental Properties in Europe

February 1st, 2011

Hi everyone,

I’ve been doing alot of work the last couple of weeks trying to source a truly great property for some private clients (two families) from Toronto.  We’ve been looking on their behalf in four iconic French regions: the Loire Valley, the Dordogne Valley, Burgundy and Provence.   I culled down from over nearly 100 possible properties for the group of 13: 4 adults, 8 children and a teenage niece.  We then focussed in on a few from each area, and have knocked it down to the two finalists, one in Provence and one in the Dordogne.   The decision will be made over the next couple of days after which we will start to plan local cycling and walking, cultural and gastronomic activities.  What a gift to give the kids !  They will be spending 2 full weeks enjoying a luxurious property in an historic, cultural and gastronomic region of France.  Soaking up the landscape, the different culture, the living history and tradition……It ought to be worth credits when they get back to school !

Just one of many great rental properties in Europe

Although not the core of our business, we have had a number of rentals such as this, each year, since we started doing private, custom travel in Europe, in 1999, at Hamilton Fitzjames.  Planning villa stays has continued to be a part of our business, since 2005 under our own brand, Sandquist Europe.  It is a great way to travel, the property often acts as a catalyst to immersing yourself in the area you’re visiting.

More and more great properties are available here in Western Europe.  The concept is a very seductive one, I believe.  The guest stays in a one-of-a-kind, character-filled, home away from home, where he can really settle in for a week or more.  The level of service can be tailored to each guest, from light tidying each day, to white glove, private chef and personal trainer, etc..  Food flexibility is maximized – prepare your own meals, or have some catered, or eat out.  Most guests like to plan meals at the property once or twice, with the balance a mix of local bistrots or brasseries or elegant fine dining establishments, inevitably available in each region.  By installing in a property, even if just for a week, you do get a sense of being a local, rather than perhaps a more superficial traveler, jumping from place to place.

All that to say that we have some great ideas and suggestions to share with you if you are considering a European chateau or villa rental.  Please let us know if we can be of service.

Thanks for reading.

Posted in 2011, February, Travel | No Comments »

The St Vincent

February 1st, 2011

Hi everyone,

This last weekend once again saw the coming of the annual St Vincent celebration.   In honour of the patron saint of vignerons (vintners (and vinegar makers too)):  Vincent de Saragosse.  This celebratory tradition was started in the middle ages, but had disappeared before being resurrected in the late 1930s by the Chevaliers de Tastevin.  Each year a village is chosen to host this Burgundy tasting weekend.   At the beginning of the weekend there is a beautiful procession, followed by an induction ceremony for village elders.  Then each wine cellar opens its doors for visitors to sample their wines.  Visitors buy a special glass and taste their way through the village.

Courtyard decorated à la St Vincent

I have attended about 15 different weekends over the years.  It’s always been a fun and convivial event.  About 10 years ago the St Vincent weekend became so popular – there were special trains organised from different parts of the country, and shuttle buses were spinning up and down the RN 74*, to keep the roads from getting jammed with pre and post tasting drivers.  It was running a touch out of control, with over 100,000 visitors trying to wind their way through the small villages, glasses and wine swinging left and right.  I have a close friend who was cut badly by a glass that was broken in the crush of a crowd.

The safety services were stretched beyond limit and it was costing each village and their vignerons  dearly, in the large amount of wine that was being dispensed, as well as the infrastructure to handle such masses of people.  In an attempt to calm things, for a couple of years they limited the weekend only to those invited, and the attendance shrunk tenfold.  Now, however, the St Vincent is on the upswing – 40,000 visitors in Chassagne in 2009 – finding balance somewhere in between too big and too small.  From what we saw in Corgoloin yesterday, its footing is sound and solid.

Corgoloin is a lesser known village, at the bottom of the Côte de Nuits in Burgundy.  Mainly known for the fabulously beautiful limestone floor tiles culled from rock quarries  that sit on the hillside where grand cru vineyards would just 10km to the North.  From a wine perspective it is also lesser known, and perhaps less regarded.  The main appellation in the village is Côte de Nuits Villages, although the winemakers invariably make other appellations from the neighbouring areas.

St Vincent à Corgoloin, Côte d'Or Jan 30, 2011

For St Vincent the tradition is to dress up the trees of the village with decorations, and it was evident, from just after Ladoix on the RN 74*, that Corgoloin had put their all into hosting the event.  They had also dressed the village up as different regions of France: Bretagne, Auvergne, Bourgogne, Normandie, etc…  There was a very good ambiance in the streets, even though the mercury was pegged at -5 degrees Celsius.  We arrived at the tail end of the festivities, but had a chance  to speak with the organisers as they got ready to fold their tents.  They were very pleased with the whole weekend.  People had fun, tasted some interesting Burgundies, and soaked in the passion of a small wine village in Burgundy.

* Obsessive map readers and GPS followers will notice that I am calling the main drag of the Côte d’Or of Burgundy the RN 74, instead of its new name – from 2006 -  the D974.  When I moved to Beaune in the 1980s, this iconic Route Nationale(RN) was already over 80 years old and was an institution for wine visitors to this glorious area.  The RN moniker conjures up a bygone era, before highways, when people took these National roads towards their vacation destinations, often cultural and gastronomic journeys through the heartland of France.  So I am not going to be bullied by the fact that the local Department now is responsible for road’s upkeep, rather than the Nation.  To me it’s like trying to give Route 66 another name.  If you look through all the great wine books and wine maps it’s RN 74 that’s marked, not D974.  That’s the road I dreamt about after my Dad sent me a case of wine from around here, while I was studying French in Quebec City in 1985.

Another homage:  If you haven’t been yet and are planning to be in San Francisco, you must eat at the finest Burgundy focussed restaurant in the USA  - RN74, where one of my best friends is an owner ( as well as one of the best Burgundy minds on the planet ) Thanks for reading.

Posted in 2011, February, Wine Tastings | No Comments »

2010 to 2011

January 26th, 2011

Near Tournus in Southern Burgundy

Hi everyone,

It is already 2011, and it’s been a while since I posted.  I must admit that I have challenges putting finger to keyboard and getting my experiences blogged.

I am going to try and condense the last while into this blog, to get started on 2011 and get more comfortable communicating with this method.

2010 saw us planning guided trips in many areas in Western Europe.  We are extremely fortunate to be able to do what we do, and yet again we have taken wonderful guests to great places in Western Europe.

From early in the year we found ourselves showing wine collectors and enthusiasts through our home region of Burgundy.  As you know, I am a huge Burgundy wine fanatic.  I have spent the past 25 years of my life studying this unique wine area and building a strong knowledge of what may be the most complicated wine region on the planet.  This not an area that can be mastered without a great amount of dedication, and I am still learning on a daily basis.  The last six vintages I have worked the harvest with my good friend (almost brother) Benjamin Leroux at Domaine des Epeneaux in Pommard, and at Ben’s new winery in Beaune.  Wine lovers who decide to come and explore Burgundy should look us up.  In fact anyone who is coming to Burgundy should look us up.  In 2010 we had 12 private groups travel through Burgundy with Sandquist Europe, from one day intensive wine trips to eight day active and cultural explorations.

Elsewhere in Europe in 2010:

We have developed a very broad and deep knowledge of Western Europe and have been designing trips for travelers here since the late 1980s.  In 2010 we expanded our area of knowledge by running private trips in the Netherlands and in the Rioja in Northern Spain.  Two areas that offered great cycling (and walking in Spain), rich history and culture, and inspired cuisine.  We look forward to taking more guests to these phenomenal areas in 2011.

We had travelers visit Provence, with programs in our sweet spot around Avignon, as well as further south, on the Riviera.   There were guests in Paris, visiting off-the-beaten-path sights with private guides, same goes for Rome.  And speaking of Italy, there were travelers in the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Torino, and the Barolo area as well.

August saw us back in France, in the Loire, cycling and visiting as many Chateaux as there were days on the journey.  And eating really well too, all from a the home base of a private villa not far from Blois.  There were guests in Alsace in September, discovering the wine, cuisine and landscape of yet another unique area.

Foreign winemakers learning about great Burgundy

Harvest time was spent in Pommard and Beaune, pulling in 2010 grapes for Benjamin Leroux, as well as hosting a special vintage tour for winemakers from Chile and California.  The journey was a donation we made to the Charity Auction at the 2010 Paulée de San Francisco, raising a big chunk of money for Meals on Wheels.

The most prestigious wine event of each year is the Vente des Vins held each third weekend in November.  Once again I was very fortunate to be invited to the Monday Paulée in Meursault.  I was also able to participate in some amazing tastings organised by Monsieur Floride David DeBenedictus over the weekend and into the following week.

So now it’s all about finding travelers for the upcoming season, and putting in place the amazing events for trips that have already been commissioned.  Come and travel Europe with Sandquist Europe, let us open doors for you to a new Old World.

Tags:
Posted in 2011, January, Travel | No Comments »

Great Trips of 2010 Part 1

July 19th, 2010

From late March we have steadily received travelers to different parts of Europe for the Spring 2010 season.  Starting with very specialized wine programs in Burgundy we also hosted trips to new destinations – the Rioja and the Netherlands, and trips to different regions in Italy and France.  Over the next few weeks I am going to report on the different trips and what made them special for the travelers that were there.  Thanks for reading !

Wine enthusiasts with top Burgundy winemaker Benjamin Leroux

Posted in 2010, July, Travel, Wine Tastings | No Comments »

Holland Routework 2

April 12th, 2010

Gouda, March 6, 2010

Day 3 Holland

I left off on the last entry as I was heading to scout a cycling route yesterday, from The Hague(Den Haag) to Delft, Hoek van Holland and return.  It was a touch cold (3 degrees C) as I headed out, but I soon warmed up as I rode.  The wind was at my face on the outward leg.  In Delft I stopped at the Tourist Office, then continued south.  Further on I stopped at an excellent Dutch bakery for a sandwich and a coffee.  Who said France has cornered the market on fine baked goods !  On the outskirts of Hoek van Holland I joined the dunes near the North sea, and continued back North to Den Haag.  Riding along the dunes and seaside is fantastic, but here is where things started to get tricky.  I noticed my front tire was slowly losing air.  Checking my tool kit I noticed that the patch glue had evaporated.  Luckily, I hadn’t taken the tire off first.  I decided to try and limp the last 15 kms back to Den Haag by refilling the tire with air each time it got too low to ride.  This worked fairly well.  I could make about 2 kms each time I pumped up, before the tire got too low.  1 km from my destination I found a bike shop on my route, bought a tube, and fixed the problem.  I took advantage of the bike shop’s compressor to get the tire up to the proper pressure; my 18 cm hand pump is really only good for emergencies.  Note to self: always carry and extra tube and patch glue that works.  I rode almost 70 kms making the route, with a couple of mistakes along the way that required backtracking.  Holland is great for cycling, with bike paths tracing the landscape.  I changed hotels tonight, moving to the Best Western in Uithoorn, between Den Haag and Amsterdam.  I arrived at 8 pm, had a quick bite to eat, then off to sleep.

Day 4

Today I awoke to rain but the forecast is for an improvement.  So I answer emails and get prepared for today’s routework.  I am plotting a ride from Aalsmeer to Den Haag, via Leiden.  On trip, we will be visiting an important flower auction in Aalsmeer, very early in the morning, with this small group, then we start cycling from the auction to Den Haag.  To do the route I drive to Den Haag, park the van, then cycle to the train to travel north to Hoofdoorn.  At Hoofdoorn I start cycling towards the flower auction to begin designing the ride.  It’s really windy today….Tonight I meet my co-guide and we start reconfirming and perfecting the itinerary.  Thanks for reading !

Posted in 2010, March, Travel | No Comments »

Holland Routework 1

April 12th, 2010

Hotel Des Indes, Den Haag

Feb 28 – To The Hague

I have retrieved notes from Feb tastings and will input them soon, for now I will reporting to the blog from the road. I think it is important to start documenting my experiences during different phases of trip development. I hope it is helpful.
Yesterday I left Beaune in a major storm to drive North to Holland. We are hosting some travellers who want to explore Holland by Bike in late June 2010.
Holland is a cyclist’s dream, the bike is Queen. This is the third time I’ve come North for this program; March 2009 for initial research, then in October 2009 for specific bike routes and hotel visits. I am here now to finish the cycling routes and to go through the trip in detail with my co-guide. My co-guide was a Den Haag resident for well over a decade, now residing near Geneva, but in France. We worked together at a the large cycling and walking specialist Butterfield and Robinson 20 yrs ago, our families have been close ever since. I consider her husband a very close friend, and our kids get along like cousins. Her input on this program will be a key to making it a true insider’s program. She arrives in two days, so, until then, I will be able to finish some of the cycling routes and do some exploring on my own.
Getting here:
The storm intensified as I drove North, peaking in Luxembourg. I had stopped to grab a sandwich and my vehicle nearly got hit by a flying 150litre garbage can, the gusts were impressive.  Belgium was grey, as almost always it seems, the storm eased as I arrived to the Hampshire Hotel, and then intensified around 5 pm, after my arrival. As I left the hotel an American tourist burst in and blurted to me “and I gave up a trip to Australia for this !!” while storming to the elevator. I understood exactly what he was talking about when I started to walk to the tram stop. Big cold wind and driving rain. Really nasty weather. I was almost chilled to the bone waiting to take a tram 3 stops to the centre of the city.
I walked the city centre for about an hour before getting too cold and heading back to hotel on foot. I remembered how I really do enjoy big cities. It took me back to the cold Toronto winters of my youth. Just before I got back to the hotel I spied the Savana Café, a quaint neighbourhood bistro.  After talking with reception briefly I cleaned up and headed back to the bistro for a nice daily menu. The Leak soup was really fresh, creamy and great. The main was Sole in a cream sauce with braised Cauliflower and home fries-with home-made mayonnaise. It was good, but slightly undercooked and thus difficult for me to bone. It also came with it’s guts for me to separate – I wasn’t hungry enough to sample them tonight. Once I got some of the flesh it didn’t bother me that it was undercooked, I could tell it was a fresh fish, with great flavour. The home fries were great !
I returned to the hotel, fell asleep during the 50 km ski race, only to wake at midnight to see the Hockey and Olympic highlights, followed by the 2010 Winter Olympic Games Closing ceremonies. Although I’ve become more of an Internationalist, and less Nationalistic, I doubt you can find a more proud Canadian in the Hague this morning.
March 1, 2010
This is a great hotel for what I am doing. Routework is a part of the trip’s bottom line, for us to be price competitive, I need to keep pre-trip costs as reasonable as possible. It was a great deal price-wise, and this morning’s breakfast was just fine. It is well located, classic, clean and well-appointed. I would not, however, use this as a trip property, as it lacks the character side of the equation. This morning I am tracing the bike route for 1st layover day in The Hague. I am happy to say the weather has calmed down. Only 30 km/hr winds… Looks like tailwind there and headwind back. Thanks for reading.

Posted in 2010, February, March, Travel, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Morey-St-Denis Tasting

February 11th, 2010

Morey-St-Denis, Burgundy

On January 22nd I visited with Kellen Lignier at Domaine Lucie et Auguste Lignier in Morey-St-Denis.  It was a brisk mid-afternoon when I met Kellen at the cellars in the courtyard of the Castel de Très Girard Hotel.  She had just finished doing some pruning in the vineyard across the road that runs in front of the winery, and we chatted while waiting for a private client of hers to join us.

Kellen described how the winery used to be the Cave Cooperative for Morey-St-Denis, and that her husband’s family had been installed there since the 1980s.  Kellen’s husband was Romain Lignier, the son of Hubert Lignier, and one of the top young winemakers in Morey-St-Denis.  I remember meeting him once in the early 1990s with a Canadian wine importer friend of mine.  Romain was clearly a passionate and inquisitive winemaker, with that rare combination of immense talent and ambition.  All of the Côte d’Or mourned Romain’s passing with profound sadness.

Romain died tragically from a brain tumor in 2004.  Kellen has since taken on the task of running the winery, although this wasn’t completely embraced by Kellen’s father-in-law, from what I have heard.  I didn’t know how comfortable Kellen would feel talking about Romain’s death and the challenges thereafter, so I didn’t ever bring it up.  At one point she did say that she felt Romain’s cancer was a product of the different chemical treatments the Domaine used to employ.  Romain had started the eradication of chemicals, and Kellen has continued such that, at present, chemicals are no longer in the picture.  This requires a good deal of hand work in the vineyards and Kellen has a few full and part-time help to keep the vines in pristeen order.

The Vineyards

The Domaine has just about 8.5 hectares( 21 acres ) of vines to look after, spread between the villages of Chambolle-Musigny and Fixin, along the Côte de Nuits.  Kellen makes the whole range of appellation wines, from Bourgogne Rouge and Bourgogne Passetoutgrains through Village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru.  Here is the list of different wines made by Kellen and her team:

Regional Appellation:

Bourgogne Aligoté

Bourgogne Passetoutgrains

Bourgogne Rouge

Village Appellation:

Chambolle-Musigny “Les Bussières”

Morey-St-Denis “Vieilles Vignes”

Morey-St-Denis “Les Sionnières”

Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Seuvrées”

Fixin “Champs de Vosger”

Premier Cru Appellation:

Chambolle-Musigny “Les Baudes”

Morey-St-Denis “La Riotte” (last vintage was 2006, this now gets blended with the “Cuvée Romain Lignier”)

Morey-St-Denis “Les Chaffots”

Morey-St-Denis “Cuvée Romain Lignier”

Gevrey-Chambertin “Aux Combottes”

Grand Cru Appellation:

Clos de la Roche

Charmes-Chambertin

As you can see, it’s a wide variety of great and very good vineyards.

The Tasting

After waiting a little while we ended up starting the tasting without our third participant.  We started the tasting with the 2008 Passetoutgrain and Bourgogne which were progressing in stainless tanks on the ground level.  Although a touch cold, they both showed very well, fresh, fruity and luscious, with good balance.

We then descended into the barrel cellar and tasted through several of the Village and Premier Cru appellations, finishing with the Clos de la Roche.

The wines tasted really well, despite the cold.  Her vineyards have vines with good age on them, this is apparent in the complexity and lush mouth-feel of many of her wines.  Their was excellent terroir definition and although the Domaine uses a fair amount of new oak – about 50% on average – it was well integrated.  Kellen makes her wines with as little intervention as necessary.  The focus is mainly on growing beautiful grapes and making sure only the healthiest get into the fermentation vats.  She makes wines that age well and slowly develop into fine Burgundy to be enjoyed with friends or family around a great meal.  Here is an interesting plus: She carefully allots her wine and keeps some back so she can release small offerings as the wines reach their peak drinking period.

I was impressed with her wines, but also with her determination to carry on with her late-husband’s aim of producing great Burgundy, and building an important legacy for Lucie and Auguste.

Posted in 2010, February, Wine Domaine Info, Wine Tastings | No Comments »

Tasting in Gevrey-Chambertin – Part 2

February 10th, 2010

Drouhin-Laroze Ad from 1943 Appellation Encyclopedia

Gevrey-Chambertin

Drouhin-Laroze is a Domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin with a very good reputation and an excellent list of different appellations that includes several Grand Crus.  Before going to the Domaine near the end of last month, I had visited on two other occasions, once in the early 1990s while cycling through the village, and a second time in August 2001, cycling again, when I stopped there with a few travelers I was hosting from a large investment firm.  On the two previous visits I only saw the caveau/tasting room on the ground level, as the visits were quite impromptu.  This time I was stunned by the size of the property.  The site is a full hectare in size (2.4 acres) with cellars and outbuildings amidst a beautiful grounds.

The Domaine is now run by Christine and Philippe Drouhin and Christine was our hostess for the visit.  We initially visited the bottle storing cellars which are quite beautiful, having been renovated in the early 2000s.  The Domaine was busy bottling some 2008s in a different building on site and filling the concrete bins in this cellar with unlabeled bottles.  Mme Drouhin then showed us the barrel cellars, a short walk away.  These cellars were equally beautiful and quite unique in that they are two levels deep.  Barrels aged here are from the Domaine as well as the negociant/broker business that Christine and Philippe’s daughter has recently started.

Our third stop on the visit was the caveau/tasting room where Mme. Drouhin has also started a small table d’hôtes :table d’hotes: n. (French) meaning “table of the host” meal option that offers full meal with limited choice of food for a fixed price.

Moray Tawse, Christine Drouhin, Paul Pender at Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

This allows clients to have a simple, Burgundian meal paired with the wines of the Domaine.  A great idea that also exists elsewhere in the Côte d’Or, perhaps most successfully at Maison Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet.  Mme. Drouhin said she started this small restaurant because of her love of cooking and as such she does all the cooking herself.  It’s open seasonally and I look forward to eating here when it re-opens in the Spring.

By this time we were in a rush to see another winemaker, so we didn’t have time to do the barrel tasting that was planned.  Instead I purchased some 2006s and have tried only one so far, a Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur (1er Cru appellation).  It was very fruity and a touch hard initially, but mellowed with time.  It was really silky, balanced and great by the time I finished the bottle, the evening after ( about 36 hrs ) it was opened.  I will wait awhile before opening any more bottles.  These wines need time to reach their full potential.  I have been fortunate to have friends who have shared older bottles, including from the great 1978 vintage.

1978 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, tasted in March 2008

Posted in 2010, February, Wine Domaine Info, Wine Tastings | No Comments »

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze

February 3rd, 2010

The bottle aging cellars at Drouhin-Laroze

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, Gevrey-Chambertin

These are notes compiled for a tasting at the Domaine on the afternoon of January 21, 2010.  Actual notes from the tasting will be posted tomorrow.

History

This domaine is managed today by Philippe and Christine Drouhin. The estate was originally founded in 1850 in Gevrey-Chambertin, by Jean-Baptiste Laroze.  In 1919 his granddaughter, Suzanne, married Alexandre Drouhin – who owned vines in Chambolle-Musigny.  With the unison of these parcels, the estate changed its name to Drouhin-Laroze.  Under the leadership of Bernard Drouhin, the domaine built a solid reputation, but a changing of the guard occurred with his death in 2001.  Bernard’s son Philippe took control of the estate and made several changes to further improve the quality of the wines.  Yields were cut and more precise temperature control was implemented during the vinification.  The efforts quickly paid off.  Subsequent vintages have produced deeper, richer wines that now rival the best from the village.

Winemaking

Philippe believes in exceptional vineyard management, which enables him to have the freshest, purest wines possible.  His style falls somewhere between a modernist and a traditionalist.  Green harvesting is performed and the yields are well controlled.  A vibrating sorting table is used to ensure only the best fruit enters each vat.  After fermentation, the wines rest in oak for eighteen months.  Though his top wines are ripe, clean and aged in new oak (50% for 1er crus and 100% for grand crus), they are at the same time pure and earthy.  Their understated concentration balances out any new wood flavours or textures.  One year old barrels are used for the village level wines.  All the wines are bottled without fining or filtration.  The result is dark, powerful cuvees that are a little rustic and unforgiving in their youth.  Time in the bottle, however, reveals wines that are fragrant and flavourful.

Vineyards

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze owns 11.50 hectares of vineyards, including village, premier cru and grand cru sites.  In addition to an excellent village Gevrey, the estate makes Morey-Saint-Denis from old vines (1946) in the lieu-dit Tres Girard (0.18 ha.).  A special village wine is made in Chambolle-Musigny from two parcels. 80% of the cuvee comes from the premier cru Les Baudes (0.18 ha.) and 20% from the lieu-dit Les Veroilles (0.04 ha.), both of which adjoin Bonnes Mares.  In Gevrey, the domaine owns plots in four premier cru vineyards.  Vines were planted here in 1943 and 1953.  Lavaux-Saint-Jacques, located just south of Clos-Saint-Jacques, is regarded as one of the best premier cru sites of Gevrey.  Drouhin-Laroze’s parcel in Lavaux (0.30 ha.) dates from 1943.  The domaine has a well situated parcel in the “Des Papes” area of Clos Vougeot (1.03 ha.), located in the upper portion of the vineyard.  With 1.49 hectares, the domaine is the second largest owner in Bonnes Mares.  The parcel is located on terres blanches soil in the Chambolle portion of the vineyard.  The grand crus of Gevrey are well represented at this estate.  In addition to plots in Latricieres-Chambertin (0.67 ha.) and Chapelle-Chambertin (0.52 ha.), Drouhin-Laroze has vines that date back to 1949 in Chambertin-Clos des Beze (1.39 ha.).  In 1996 a precious plot of Le Musigny (0.12 ha.) was purchased.

Posted in 2010, February, Wine Domaine Info | No Comments »

Domaine Fourrier

February 2nd, 2010

Jean-Marie Fourrier

This post goes with the post of February 2, 2010 below, that describes a recent tasting at the excellent Domaine Jean-Marie Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin.  What follows is info garnered from the web and edited for guests as notes for the tasting.  Edited again after the tasting – January 21, 2010.

History:

The Domaine Jean-Marie Fourrier was once known as Pernot-Fourrier, then more recently as Domaine Jean-Claude Fourrier.  It has a long history in Gevrey Chambertin, extending over several generations.  One of the first domaines to actually export its wine, it is also one of the most well-endowed estates in the village, with great vineyard holdings.  The domaine has been given new life by the arrival of Jean-Marie Fourrier.  This is another young vigneron who has reinforced the fortunes of the family domaine.  Jean-Marie gained experience not only at the family domaine, but also with Henri Jayer, and Domaine Drouhin in Oregon.  He took over control of the winery from his Dad in 1994 – 95.  Jean-Marie told us his grandfather died when his Dad was just 14yrs old.  His Dad had been working the land and office since, so he was keen to take a smaller role as soon as J-M was old enough to take the reins.

Vines:

Domaine Fourrier owns 9 hectares of vineyards in the communes of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis and Chambolle-Musigny.  The holdings are scattered up and down the slopes and range from village to Grand Cru level.  Included among the holdings are important parts of “Clos St. Jacques” and “Combes Aux Moines” as well as a small but valuable slice of Griottes-Chambertin.

Winemaking:

Intervening as little as possible in order to allow the vines, the terroir and the vintage to express themselves is the basis of Jean Marie’s winemaking philosophy.  To capture the individual, unique expression of terroir in his wines, he vinifies each vineyard separately, from village to Grand cru.  To control yield, he severely prunes his vines in the Winter and Spring, and does not believe in the practice of green harvesting.  No more than 20% new oak is used.  The aim is to preserve the purity of the fruit and the personality of each wine.  Older barrels exchange gases much more slowly, thereby naturally protecting the wine against oxidation.  Malolactic fermentation is allowed to proceed free of intervention.  Jean-Marie believes that the longer the malolactic takes to finish, the greater the aging potential of the wine.  He likes to leave the wines on the fine lees until bottling which usually occurs 20 to 24 months after harvest.

Posted in 2010, February, Wine Domaine Info | No Comments »

« Older Entries