When Domaine Forey’s importer informed us “90% of his entire 2018 lineup was sold on pre-arrival,” meaning it was accounted for before touching American soil, our hearts sank, and we once again accepted what has become the norm over the last seven years: We’ll never get to showcase these wines. But, following a great deal of brainstorming and finessing (just short of groveling), we were able to piece together an extremely limited number of “terroir three packs,” similar to last year’s legendary Hubert Lignier.
For the few who don’t know, Domaine Forey produces a microscopic treasure trove of classically styled, “old school” Pinot Noirs from Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Morey-Saint-Denis that are beloved by just about every Burgundy purist in the world. And today, you have a literal one-time opportunity to acquire all three in one motion. Only a lucky few will ever own this pack, and those that do will have to be lightning-quick on the trigger. Really, this is one of those offers we often dreamed about but never imagined would become reality. Enjoy while it lasts.
These wines are so limited, our importer told us he’s never been allowed a single sample in his 13 years of working with the domaine, and that streak certainly didn’t change for us: We paid for ours out of pocket! Of course, there’s a reason these bottlings are treated like royalty: Domaine Forey has been around for 181 years and they’re custodians to just 10 hectares of premium Côte de Nuits vines—meaning, there’s hardly any to go around! Today, the founder’s great-grandson, Régis Forey, is at the helm and within the last decade or so, incredible strides have been made to produce organic, minimally influenced, deeply elegant Burgundy. Domaine Forey is quite simply one of the most respected and cherished names in the Côte de Nuits. Below, we’ve listed his three village cuvées in order from north to south.
Morey-Saint-Denis
Coming from two lieu-dits immediately downslope of the village’s Premier Crus, Forey’s vines lie in clay-limestone soils and are aged between 30 and 50 years. All grapes are harvested by hand and de-stemmed anywhere between 30-70% in the cellar, depending on the vintage. Following a brief cold soak and a 3-4 week spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel, the wine is transferred into 500-liter French barrels (“demi-muids”), just 10% new, for 20 months. Bottling occurred in early 2021 without fining or filtration. For me, this is the most accessible wine of the trio, and not just because it’s from the lush 2018 vintage. With a quick 30-minute decant, it’s a very generous Pinot Noir that effuses perfectly ripe notes of plum, raspberry and cherry with an emphasis on crushed earth, forest floor, and baking spice. It’s velvety smooth, a paragon of Burgundian purity that can be enjoyed now and over the next 5-7 years.
Vosne-Romanée
Although Régis Forey owns just one hectare here, it’s separated into 14 unique plots, all of which can be found at the northern fringe of the village where Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot begins. His average vine age hovers around 40 years, although the oldest will be turning 80 next year! For this cuvée, grapes are generally de-stemmed at a higher percentage, around
60%, and the fermentation methods remain the same as Morey-Saint-Denis. Along with demi-muids, Forey also introduces 228-liter barriques during the wine’s 20-month aging period. Again, just 10% of the oak is new. Bottling is unfined and unfiltered. This is the most serious wine of the three, capable of aging 10-15+ years and blowing away a number of Premier Cru competition. Although tightly packed with spice, tense dark fruit, and crushed minerals, they can all be coaxed out with a 2+ hour decant if you decide to drink one now. However, the real beauty won’t begin unfurling for another 1-2 years, so please keep that in mind if you’re only buying one three-pack today!
Nuits-Saint-Georges
This is yet another appellation where Régis owns just one hectare of village-level vines. This is split between two lieu dits in the southern end of N-S-G: “Plantes aux Barons” and “les Charbonnières” which respectively border famed Premier Crus “les Forêts” and “aux Corvées.” His vines here are all over 60 years of age, and the crop is ~70% de-stemmed in the cellar. Fermentation is carried out the same as his other village wines, but maturation occurs strictly in 228-liter barrels, 10% new. After 20 months, the wine is bottled unfined/unfiltered. For educational purposes, you can consider this a hybrid of Forey’s Vosne and M-S-D bottlings. Not as tense as the Vosne, not as plush as the Morey, it’s a beautiful marriage of the two, full of muscular berry fruit and a slight savory edge that’s enhanced by a vibrant mineral core. This has aging potential, too: Its sweet spot will come around birthdays 5-7, although I wouldn’t be surprised if this lasted just as long as the Vosne-Romanée!
