DOMAINE JEAN FOURNIER

marsannay, côte de nuit’s northernmost winegrowing region, has long been known to oenophiles for its rosé de marsannay, a specialty of the village created in 1919. overlooked when the institut national des appellations d’origine (inao) originally delimited aocs in the 1930s, the region finally received its appellation in 1987, giving it the recognition growers felt their rocky limestone and marl terroirs deserved. marsannay is unique in burgundy for having aoc status for red, white, and rosé wines.

domaine jean fournier dates back to the reign of louis 13th in the early 17th century, making it one of the oldest properties in marsannay. today the domaine’s 16 hectares are managed by the dynamic young laurent fournier, son of jean, who crafts wines with integrity in a non-interventionist style. he has converted the vineyards to organic agriculture and has been ecocert certified since 2008. old vines can be found throughout his vineyards, contributing to the immense purity and finesse fournier’s wines are known for.

also unique to the domaine is a small plot of aligoté vines that are over 80 years old. though the grape is not as celebrated as burgundian chardonnay, when conditions are perfect, old-vine aligoté can be a wine of excellent freshness and concentration. laurent ensures that his aligoté lives up to its potential by green harvesting the grapes and keeping the yields low at 40hl/ha.

harvest is completed manually and grapes are hand sorted to guarantee that the wine is made from only the highest quality fruit. grapes ferment in barrel for up to three weeks and the wines are then aged for three years in both 25 and 50 hl barrels allowing them plenty of time to flesh out. the result is precise wines of great ageability, weight, and texture.