Domaine du Comte Liger Belair   Nuits St Georges les Cras

2008 Nuits St Georges les Cras

By Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

2008 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Fourrier, Burgundy, France

Embarking upon a review of the splendid 2008 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Fourrier is to delve into a repository of Burgundian finesse, etched deeply by the idiosyncrasies of its vintage. This particular year, challenging for viticulturists yet rewarding for those with patience, offered a palette for Domaine Fourrier to showcase the equilibrium between rigour and art in viticulture.

 

Expression of the Elements: The 2008 Vintage in Focus

The season’s slow start and tumultuous summer created a rigorous crucible in which only the finest grape clusters emerged triumphant. This hardship translated into an intense selection process, resulting in a titillating tautness and vivacity that underpins this wine's profile. The moderate yields have led to a concentration of flavour that is notable in this vintage.

 

Investment-worthy Pedigree: Domaine Fourrier's Distinction

In the realm of wine investment, sophisticated investors recognise the 2008 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru's distinctiveness as a smart addition to their portfolio. Its alluring complexity and burgeoning maturity ring auspiciously for those seeking assets with promising development potential over time. In this light, collectors and investors be advised - Domaine Fourrier's virtuosity is encapsulated succinctly in this release, making it one not to overlook.

With a bouquet marinated in layered red fruits and an almost imperceptible hint of earthy undergrowth – all signature to the esteemed terroir of Griottes-Chambertin – the wine pirouettes on the palate with grace. Juicy cherries amalgamate effortlessly with subtle spices and fine tannins, yielding a finish that eludes definition – it must simply be experienced.

In summarising the essence of this laudable nectar – one sips on not just a wine but history captured at its climactic circlet, wrought by a region renowned for its quintessential produce. There's certitude that 2008 Griottes Chambertin Grand Cru from Domaine Fourrier will continue resonating its profound notes amongst connoisseurs and investors alike, making it an unparalleled entity within the veneration of Burgundy’s vinous anthology.

Market price (GBP)

£14,530.00

12x75cl

Highest score

92

POP score

1210.83

Scores and tasting notes

92

The 2008 Nuits. St. Georges Les Cras is ageing beautifully and surpasses one’s expectations for a village cru. It has a lovely, open, generous bouquet with red currant and blackberry leaf that is nicely focused, offering bacon fat scents with continued aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins. There is just a little hardness toward the finish and perhaps it does not quite possess the persistency of a premier cru, but it contains impressive mineralite and tension. I will be covering Louis-Michel’s highly praised; elusive and expensive wines in future issues of The Wine Advocate. But for now, in October I attended a fascinating tasting of older vintages to glean how they age. Certainly, these wines are imbued with a citrus freshness that verges of sorbet-like with some wines. They clearly go out to impress and impress they do. What these wines refuse to do is short-change the Burgundy-lover apropos perfume or flavor; they willingly go out there to satisfy the senses. They also appear to age slowly and gracefully, and I suspect most of these will reach their plateau after around a decade in the cellar.

Neal Martin - The Wine Advocate, 29 December 2013

Vintage performance