2020 Julien Marchand Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru ‘Fonteny’

2020 Julien Marchand Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru ‘Fonteny’

2020 Julien Marchand Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru ‘Fonteny’ Comes from the upper part of this Cru from 65 to 70 year old vines.  A beautiful, harmonious and classically built Gevrey-Chambertin that shows exceptional sense of finesse, nuance and depth of flavor. Deep and relatively dark black cherry color that permits quite little light through. The nose feels fragrant, quite dry and very nuanced with intense aromas of fresh black raspberries and pepper, some meaty tones, a little bit of earth, light perfumed notes of violets, a reductive hint of gunpowder smoke, a touch of salty liquorice powder and a sweet whiff of ethery VA. The wine feels delicate and silky yet surprisingly firm and sinewy on the palate with a sleek medium body and remarkably intense flavors of earthy spices and salty liquorice, some ripe plummy tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, light gravelly mineral notes, a meaty hint of umami and a sweeter touch of juicy black cherries. The overall feel is quite structured and even a bit tightly-knit with the high acidity and very ample yet ripe tannins that contribute much to the textural feel of the wine, less to the quite gentle tannic grip. The finish is dry, long and juicy with some tannic grip and intense flavors of ripe black cherries and gamey meat, some savory umami tones, a little bit of salty liquorice, light brambly notes of black raspberries, a reductive hint of smoke and a touch of stony minerality.

Marchand Freres is one of my all-time favorite producers, the estate has been around since 1813. Marchand Freres is the quintessential Burgundy domain: small production, high quality. The estate has seen seven generations of continuous family winemakers. Pictured is JP Marchand who with his brother Denis run the Winery today. Originally founded in Morey-St. Denis, it was in 1983, that the domain bought a winemaker’s house in the very center of Gevrey-Chambertin, ostensibly for the beautiful working cellars underneath.

The domain has less than 9 hectares in some of the best vineyards in Cote de Nuits, like Clos de la Roche, Griottes-Chambertin and Charmes Chambertin. Production is miniscule with about 1000 cases to offer the world. 

These tiny family Domaines make some of the greatest and hardest get wines on the planet. Experiencing great red Burgundy is a like a religious experience. Wines that move you like no other. I tasted todays wine yesterday, spent last night with the bottle dissecting its brilliance. This is great red Burgundy. The 2020 Julien Marchand Gevrey Chambertin Premier Cru ‘Fonteny’ is a thing of Beauty, a mind blowing sensory journey. The Fonteny vineyard is 70 years of age and is literally across the street from Grand Cru Mazis Chambertin which would sell for over a thousand dollars a bottle The wines are gloriously rich and unctuous with awesome layering of oak and spices. Great with decanting but reward massively with time in the cellar. Spoil yourself!