2012 Fixin Les Arvelets

The 2012 Fixin 1er Cru Arvelets has a ripe, quite generous bouquet with macerated red cherries and blueberry on the nose, even a hint of violet petal with aeration. The palate is nicely balanced, though I noticed a metallic edge on the entry. Yet it feels supple and candied in the mouth, almost exotic toward the finish, without ever becoming overbearing. Delicious! Drink now-2022. Domaine Berthaut has been run by six generations of the namesake family. Vincent and Denis have been at the helm since 1975, farming 13 hectares within the ambit of Fixin. There is a lutte raisonee approach in the vineyard and the wines are fermented in concrete tanks, usually seeing a modest 20% new oak for 18 - 24 months before bottling. I used to buy Berthaut’s wines when I was first dipping my toes into Burgundy, not only because of quality, but because they were always good value. The 2012s, which were all drawn from barrel, might be described as a little rustic, but in a positive sense. While they are not powerful or even complex, they tend to be well-balanced and express their respective terroirs with the minimum of fuss. No known US importer.