We cracked Fourrier's 2002 CSJ next to a 2002 Rousseau CSJ this past Friday at Café Vivant then sat back and watched the fireworks. Each opened remarkably true to type (producer, vintage, site): Rousseau in its mid-life earthy, soy-speckled register and the Fourrier more alerty red-fruited.
Both opened beautifully across the evening. The Rousseau tracked spicier with air while the Fourrier pushed deeper into black raspberry and bing cherry sweetness. If CSJ uniqueness can be usefully reduced to complexity (in the extreme) plus hedonism (extreme also), on this night Rousseau pushed complexity to a premier cru limit while Fourrier found another hedonistic level entirely.
We decided the Rousseau was the wine to admire and Fourrier the wine to ravage before reluctantly parting 2026’s most memorable side-by-side to date.
Cheers,
Jason
