2016 Fixin

Deep garnet. Rich start with a hint of liquorice. Lots of drive and freshness of fruit. Rewarding and well balanced. Slightly earthier than some and with some sweetness too. GV (JR)

(bottled without fining or filtration in December; a blend of four small blocks on heavy, deep clay soils with little or no stone content; vinified in concrete, then aged in old oak): Good medium red. Dark berries, mocha and spices on the nose and palate. Nicely concentrated, pliant wine with modest punch and delineation but lovely subtle sucrosité ; should make attractive early drinking. Not at all a rustic style of Fixin: Amélie Berthaut only punched down the cap toward the end of the fermentation and bottled this wine earlier to avoid getting dry tannins.

The 2016 Fixin Village was taken from foudres that had been racked one month earlier. There is no new oak on this cuvée. It has a crisp redcurrant and cranberry-scented bouquet with a hint of wet clay coming through with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannin, crisp acidity, quite linear at the moment with a tightly knit, lightly spiced finish. This is a worthy follow-up to the 2015.