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Domaine Forey Burgundy 2023

Domaine Forey Burgundy 2023

We are extremely excited to be able to offer out the 2023 vintage from the inimitable Domaine Forey.  A stalwart in the village of Vosne Romanee in the Cotes de Nuits, the domaine now run by Regis Forey, and has been in existence since the 1840s, when it was started by Regis' Great Grandfather.  Now, Regis has over 30 years under his belt as caregiver to the family's absolutely almost embarrassingly prime parcels of vines which are situated in some of the best vineyard sites throughout Vosne-Romanee, Nuit-Saint-Georges, Flagey-Echezeaux, Vougeot, and Morey-Saint-Denis.  Their holdings are so special, that they even own vines in the original parcel of one of Burgundy's most famous vineyards, La Tache.

Forey is a tiny Domaine, with just under 10 hectares under vine, so very little is exported, and our alocations are tiny. Just bottles of each in many cases.

Here are a few words from importer Neil Rosenthal...

 

 
"With over thirty harvests under his belt, Regis Forey exudes the warm confidence of a seasoned Burgundian operating at the peak of his powers. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Regis crafted robust, dense wines from his family’s enviable holdings in the Côte de Nuits—impressive wines which have aged superbly, but which do occasionally bear traces of a certain youthful striving. In recent years, however, he has honed a style that prioritizes subtlety in numerous ways: a shift from traditional 228- liter Burgundy barrels to 500-liter demi-muids in order to reduce the influence of oak; less manipulation of the cap during fermentation (once-per-day punching down at most) to promote gentler extraction; an increasing incorporation of whole clusters (which reduce color and emphasize higher aromatic tones); and a markedly reduced sulfur regimen. Like Jean-Marie Fourrier, Regis has also begun to experiment with terracotta jars, whose relatively large volume and low porosity allow for slower evolution during élevage. In today’s warming climate, Burgundy’s average cellar temperatures are higher than in eras past, and vessels such as these—as well as the large conical foudres with which he is also experimenting—counteract the accelerated development these warmer cellars foster. Always on the brink of a good laugh, Regis jokes that his newfound lighter touch is a function of not wanting to work as hard in his advancing age; however, it is clear that he is laboring thoughtfully in order to locate new expressive registers for his great terroirs. Indeed, his wines today rank among the most graceful of our entire Burgundy portfolio, even evoking the beautifully understated wines of his father Jean—Rosenthal Wine Merchant’s very first partner in the Côte de Nuits."

We have an extremely limited amount of these wines, especially the Premier and Grand Cru wines, with just 1 bottle each of the large formats.

All wines are priced lowest in the US. 

Pickup and shipping are available, as always.

2023 Bourgogne Passetoutgrain
Comprised of 50% each Pinot Noir and Gamay, Forey’s juicy, user-friendly Passetoutgrain is produced from two old-vines parcels—one below Morey-Saint-Denis and one below Nuits-Saint-Georges. The varieties are co-fermented, and aging takes place in stainless steel to keep the fruit foregrounded and lively.

2023 Gevrey-Chambertin “La Justice” [NEW]
With Jean-Michel Jacob’s retirement after the 2022 harvest, Domaine Forey was able to obtain a prime bit of Gevrey-Chambertin real estate: a hectare of 50-year-old Pinot Noir in the La Justice vineyard, situated in the far north of the appellation. Absorbing its 20% new oak handily, this cuvée offers classically Gevrey stony meatiness, with a sappiness commensurate with the parcel’s old vines and a freshness typical of the Forey house style.

Domaine Forey Morey-Saint-Denis 2023
Forey’s village-level Morey-Saint-Denis consists of two minuscule holdings of vines between 30 and 50 years of age (one in Clos Solon and one in Les Crais.). Fermented with 60% whole clusters and aged in 20% new demi-muids, this cuvée displays impressive density and power, with sweet, sappy fruit and a marked spice element.

Domaine Forey Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru 2023
There is precious little wine produced from this miniscule parcel of less than 1/10th of a hectare of 45 year old vines. The single parcel crosses the boundary of two 1er Crus: “Les Blanchards” and “Clos Baulet”.

 Domaine Forey Nuits-Saint-Georges 2023
Forey’s Nuits-Saint-Georges comprises a hectare’s worth of 60-year-old vines in the lieux-dits of Charbonnières and Plantes Aux Barons. Despite its relative wildness and a core of classic Nuits-Saint- Georges rambunctiousness, this 2019 offers a similar depth and purity of fruit as the Morey above. And, as with the Morey, Regis employed 60% whole clusters during the vinification.

Domaine Forey Vosne-Romanée 2023
As one would expect from the appellation, Forey’s Vosne-Romanée is silkier and more elegant than its village-level siblings above, though no less richly fruited. Produced from 14 small parcels planted between 1942 and 1974, mostly in the northern sector of the appellation, vinified with 60% whole clusters and aged in a combination of demi-muids and smaller barrels. Regis allots tiny portions of his Vosne-Romanée harvest to two experimental cuvées: the Vosne-Romanée “Jarre”—aged in a single above-ground clay vessel—offers tighter-grained fruit and a more linear structure; and the Vosne-Romanée “Menhir”—aged in a large tronconic cask in the shape of its namesake—is round, pretty, and gentle.

Domaine Forey Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Perrières” 2023
Regis owns a 0.42-hectare parcel of 75-to-80-year-old vines in this vaunted cru—vinified with 50% whole clusters and aged in 50% new oak—is an immediate leap forward in complexity from the previous wines. Although it displays restraint for the vintage and is no heavier than the wines above, all its elements present with greater force: juicier fruit, firmer yet more fully enrobed tannins, and a more intense earth-mineral interplay.

2023 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Les Petits Monts”
Les Petits Monts is situated just above grand cru Richebourg in the prime fillet of the appellation, adjacent to the legendary Cros Parantoux, and Regis exploits a 0.2-hectare sliver here, planted in 1970. Stunningly elegant on the nose, with notes of sous-bois and red cherries, this displays an ample structural underpinning which is completely enrobed by generous fruit; it will be difficult to resist in youth but will, as always, reward cellaring.



Domaine Forey Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Saint-Georges” 2023
Forey owns a 0.1-hectare sliver of 85-year-old vines in what many consider the great vineyard of the village. Nuits-Saint-Georges often distinguishes itself by its sheer force of minerality—one much more iron-inflected and punchy than that of its northern neighbors. TVinified with 100% whole clusters—the first time Regis had done so—and aged in 80% new oak, which the wine’s mass absorbs handily.

2023 Echezeaux
Forey owns 0.3 hectares in this exalted cru, in the climats of Les Treux and Clos Saint-Denis, flanked by the grand cru Grands-Echezeaux to the north and Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots to the south. All but a small recently replanted portion of the holdings are between 40 and 65 years old, and Forey always wrests a wine of refined power from these old vines. Beguilingly savory on the nose, this shows ample sous-bois earthiness alongside its luscious fruit and fully coated but powerful tannins.

Domaine Forey Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2023
Clos de Vougeot is the defensive lineman to the Echezeaux’s running back—massively scaled and more squarely built. Regis works a third of a hectare of 40-to-45-year-old vines here, and this is, appropriately, the densest and most currently inscrutable wine of the lineup. Still, at its core is a certain elegance, which imbues this broad-shouldered wine with a real sense of refinement. Regis employed 60% whole clusters and 80% new oak on this.

Domaine Forey Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Les Gaudichots” 2023
As many of you know, the Grand Cru La Tache was born from the Gaudichots vineyard. The Forey family has owned their parcel of Gaudichots for many generations. When Neal made his first visit to the Forey cellars, the one barrel (sometimes a barrel plus a “feuillette” was made in particularly generous vintages) was blended back into the village Vosne-Romanée. He argued that it made sense to do the extra work to bottle a separate wine declared as Vosne 1er Cru “Les Gaudichots” and Jean Forey agreed. The 1983 vintage was the first that was so declared and we have had the privilege of presenting this great and rare wine ever since.

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