Fixin 2015

The 2015 Fixin Village is a blend of four small parcels, fermented in concrete with malolactic fermentation in barrel with no new oak. It has a clean and precise bouquet with dark cherries, blackcurrant fruit with a touch of bergamot. I admire the precision here - this is very focused for a village cru. The palate is very well balanced, laden with crunchy red fruit, cranberry and redcurrant notes matched with a keen thread of acidity. The finish sports very good structure and there is great precision on the finish. This is Fixin that punches above its weight. Readers will be fully aware of my enthusiasm for winemaker Amélie Berthaut's fermented grape juice since she took over Domaine Denis Berthaut and practically single-handedly turned it into Fixin's leading wine producer. I absolutely adored Amélie Berthaut's 2015s, probably her finest set of wines (so far). The Fixin wines are leagues above anyone else in the appellation, effortlessly demonstrating that Fixin could and should be competing with Marsannay as the "alternative" to Gevrey-Chambertin, not a mere also-ran. There is purity in these wines, tension and complexity. There were a couple of occasions that I felt her Vosne-Romanée wines flirted with exoticism courtesy of the growing season, although she did not push them over the edge. It is exciting to consider everything that lies ahead for Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet.

Score: 89 - 91

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2029 30 December 2016