2016 Fixin Les Crais

(from alluvial soil with more stones, not to mention a cooler combe influence; 30% vendange entier ; bottled in December; Berthaut noted that 80% of the buds were lost to frost but a good amount of second-generation grapes ripened, so she only lost 50% of her normal volume): Lovely deep color. Less fruit-driven than the basic village Fixin, showing more mineral and soil tones on the nose. Then plush, spicy and sweet, conveying a rather relaxed quality for a wine made mostly from second-generation grapes. An element of saline, stony minerality adds interest. With its very good mouth coverage and rather fine-grained dusty tannins, this is showing well already but it should offer some aging potential.

Deep crimson… Real depth of northern Côte d'Or flavour! Bone dry but with good confidence and lots of ingredients of a long life. Almost as though there were some carbonic gas in here…? (JR)

The 2016 Fixin Les Crais was taken directly from tank and will include 20% new oak. It has a clean and pure bouquet with raspberry and crushed strawberry notes, a touch of vanilla pod developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, slightly chalky in texture and with plenty of freshness on the finish. This is a step up from the Fixin Village.