Wines

A lively blend of equal parts Pinot Noir and Gamay from old interplanted vines planted on the plain, Forey’s Passetoutgrain is a playful and inviting wine that delivers pleasant fruit tied to notes of black pepper.

This wine is produced from various holdings in Vosne and Nuits, all of which are old vines (from vines planted between 1954 and 1974). The élevage is done in the larger demi-muid barrel format and is usually the last wine harvested but the first wine to be bottled.

This village wine is from three parcels of about one hectare total size that are planted to vines of more than sixty years of age. The two primary parcels are in “Plantes Aux Barons” (0.40 hectare) and “Charbonnières” (0.60 hectare), both of which are in Prémeaux on its northern border with Nuits. These low-yielding old vines produce a concentrated and classic Nuits.

The village offering from Morey-Saint-Denis is sourced from grapes in “Clos Solon” and and “Les Crais”. The vines were planted in 1966 and another section in 1986. Under most circumstances, Forey does not rack his wines during élevage, permitting the wines to rest on the fine lies until they are racked when ready for bottling.

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”.

Forey farms 14 separate parcels that cover together a bit more than one hectare to create the village Vosne-Romanée. Most of the vineyards are on the northern side of Vosne bordering Vougeot. The oldest parcel was planted in 1942 and the major portion of this wine is from vines in excess of 40 years of age. Forey ages this wine in a mix of small barrel and demi-muid.

In recent vintages Régis Forey has begun ageing a portion of his Vosne village wine in terracotta jars. In today’s warming climate, Burgundy’s average cellar temperatures are higher than in eras past, and vessels such as these counteract the accelerated development these warmer cellars foster. Tasting the Jarre, and Menhir cuvées alongside the village Vosne leads to fascinating contrasts.

In recent vintages Régis Forey has begun ageing a portion of his Vosne village wine in tronconic wood foudres, shaped similarly to the Menhir standing stones that stretch across Celtic areas of Europe. In today’s warming climate, Burgundy’s average cellar temperatures are higher than in eras past, and vessels such as these counteract the accelerated development these warmer cellars foster.

In this, one of the great vineyards of Nuits, the Forey family has owned 0.42 hectares of vines for many generations. The vines were planted between 1937 and 1942. This cuvée, for us, has been consistently outstanding, never being anything but excellent for the forty-plus years we have been purchasing it, since 1980.

Forey controls one-fifth of a hectare in this lieu-dit, perhaps the finest in the entire appellation. The vines were planted in 1933. Old vines are wonderful but that factor makes for very tiny production which makes this one of the most highly-allocated wines in our entire portfolio.

Like the Nuits “Les Saint-Georges,” Forey exploits a mere one-fifth of a hectare in this elite lieu-dit which is situated just above Richebourg. The vines were planted in 1970. Again, production levels are miniscule leading to the necessity of severe annual allocations.

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.

This fine Grand Cru is from a Forey-owned parcel of three-tenths of a hectare. The precise site is in the climats of “Les Treux” and “Clos Saint-Denis” which generally are geographically between “Les Suchots” and “Les Grands Echezeaux.” One third of the vines were planted in 1949 with the rest being planted in two waves: 1974 and again in 2004.

Forey works a one-third hectare parcel in the northern part of the Montiotes Basses section of the clos. One part of the vines were planted in 1968 and another part in 1972. Forey’s version of this appellation is particularly sturdy.