Fornerol dinner recap
by Edouard Bourgeois
March 3, 2026
I will always remember my first visit to Didier Fornerol, in the quiet town of Corgoloin. It was a cold, rainy autumn day, and I found Didier in his yard meticulously fixing wood vineyard pickets. He explained that while most people simply buy new ones, he prefers to repair them himself. This dedication to his craft, even in the smallest details, reinforces my belief that winemaking is his life’s work.
Tasting in his cellar is equally remarkable. During a recent three-hour visit, I had the pleasure of tasting expressive and complex wines that far exceed their humble Côte de Nuits Villages appellation. Didier’s pedigree is impressive; he was at Domaine de l’Arlot from 1982 to 1998 before taking over his family business in 1999. In 2006, he was joined by the legendary Jean-Pierre de Smet. Inspired by the whole-cluster fermentation techniques of Jacques Seysses and Patrick Bize, they have produced stunning wines from this often-overlooked part of Burgundy. This partnership also led to the creation of the “Rue des Foins” bottling, sourced from a specific half-hectare parcel of old vines.
We recently hosted a Pressoir dinner at Popina to showcase these wines. While we typically select 12 bottles for our dinners, the depth of our inventory allowed us to present 22 different selections. The evening focused on side-by-side comparisons of the "Rue des Foins" and the regular Côte de Nuits Villages from the same vintages.
The results were incredible. The 2019 Côte de Nuits rouge was a standout for its solar, fruit-forward character, while the 2010 was my personal favorite for its crunchy fruit and perfect acidity. The "Rue des Foins" bottlings also performed exceptionally well, consistently showing darker and more concentrated profiles than the regular cuvées. Notable highlights included the accessible 2017, a surprisingly savory 2016, and the excellent 2010. The evening concluded with a rare surprise from Daniel’s cellar: a 2002 "Rue des Foins" that was never commercially released, which was arguably the wine of the night.
