Jean fournier
On our last visit to Beaune, in November 2025, we were treated to lunch by a legend in the the British wine trade and a resident of Beaune for the last 25 years. At some point in the conversation, the subject of Marsannay rosé came up. It was natural, it would have been a delicious match for the food, but we all agreed it has become all too rare. When we mentioned our interest in tracking one down for our Caveau customers, our host sprang from his seat and said, ‘let me make a phone call.’
Two days later, at dusk, after completing our customary round of three or four domaine visits and tastings, we were in the old-boy’s British registered, right hand drive Audi, pelting north on the A31 at breakneck speeds in excess of 160 klicks, our destination was Marsannay.
After a few tense minutes, we arrived with sweaty palms and elevated pulse at Domaine Jean Fournier… but as promised, we had found our rosé!
We were happy to get the introduction to Domaine Fournier, they are both well-established and good, though they sell almost all of their wine in France and the UK where they are found at some of the best Burgundy specialists. The family has been in Marsannay for, literally, centuries and has an important seat at the high table in Marsannay.
They were among the first wave of growers to join the movement to Domaine bottling after the War, soon after Jean took over the family's vines. The estate is currently in the hands of Jean's son Laurent, who was clearly a perfect fit for Caveau.
Our business was quickly done and dusted on tasting his rosé but the visit pushed us well past our dinner reservation as we tasted our way through a really tasty range of soon-to-be 1er cru reds and some absolutely stunning aligoté, but this chapter will have to wait for the next installment and a more formal introduction...