Wine Details
Translating as “valley of monks,” Combe aux Moines is one of Gevrey’s great historic hillsides. The vineyard has endured quietly for centuries, through revolutions, wars and everything in between, with vines said to have been grown on this hallowed site since the 7th century.
It sits in superb company too, continuing the same slope as the revered Clos Saint-Jacques and Cazetiers. That tells you exactly the sort of neighbourhood we are in: serious Gevrey, old bones, proper depth.
Fourrier’s vines were planted in 1928. Almost a century old, they now give very little fruit, but what they do give carries remarkable concentration. Tiny yields, old roots and that rare kind of depth that feels less like volume and more like gravity.
And every piece of that history seems to call through the wine. This is Combe aux Moines with power, but not heaviness. Planted on strong clay, it has a darker, more brooding edge than Cherbaudes, with vigorous red fruit, black cherry, redcurrant and pomegranate, all held together by the bright line of 2024 freshness.
There is real energy here. Tension, lift, bite and old-vine concentration. The fruit is juicy and vibrant, but the wine feels coiled, as though there is more waiting underneath the surface. It is not the most immediate of Fourrier’s Premier Crus, but that is part of the thrill.
One to cellar. One to watch. One that feels like it has been quietly gathering strength since 1928.
The Plot
Combe aux Moines is one of Gevrey-Chambertin’s great historic Premier Cru sites, its name translating as “valley of monks.” Vines are said to have been grown here since the 7th century, and the vineyard continues the same slope as Clos Saint-Jacques and Cazetiers.
Fourrier’s vines here were planted in 1928, making them almost a century old. Set on strong clay, the site gives a darker, more structured expression of Gevrey, with depth, tension and old-vine authority rather than immediate charm.
Jean-Marie Fourrier even had a statue of a monk carved to sit above the hillside and watch over the vines, just as the monks once would have done, walking, working and meditating across this ancient slope.
Technical
The 2024 Combe aux Moines is made with Fourrier’s usual restrained approach: careful destemming, native yeast fermentation and gentle infusion rather than heavy extraction. The aim is not to force power from the vineyard, but to let the old vines and strong clay speak with clarity.
As a Premier Cru, it is raised with 15% new oak, giving a little structure and quiet polish without covering the fruit.
