2015 Vincent et Denis Berthaut - Fixin Les Arvelets 1er Cru

Cask sample. Mid cherry. Drier texture than Les Crais and more dry intensity. A slight stemmy note on the palate but fresh and finely textured. Refined tannins. (JH)

(almost totally destemmed; aging in 35% new oak): Bright red-ruby. Pure aromas of black raspberry and fruity dark chocolate are subtler than those of the en Combe Roy. Densely packed, thick and sweet but with a firm spine providing good racy lift. This rather powerful but youthfully reserved wine finishes with a sweet dusting of tannins and excellent breadth and length. These old vines produced just 15 hectoliters per hectare in 2015 owing to drought stress. There's a lot going on here.

The 2015 Fixin 1er Cru Les Arvelets was taken from barrel and includes 35% new oak and less than 10% whole bunch (especially selected from the sorting table). Apparently this vineyard had a lot of millerandage in 2015. It has an exquisite, extremely pure black plum and raspberry coulis-scented bouquet with veins of fresh fig and even a hint of pain d'epices. The palate is medium-bodied with beautifully integrated new oak, seamless tannin, layers of red and black fruit merging into more blue fruit towards the pixelated finish. This is a stunning Fixin from one of its best vineyard from its best winemaker. This is a benchmark wine.