Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Perfumed and pure, this red exudes black cherry, blackberry, violet and spice aromas and flavors. Silky and fresh, delivering harmony and a long, mouthwatering finish. The aftertaste echoes the ripe, dark fruit and spice elements.
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Wine & Spirits
When this 4.5-acre monopole became part of the domaine in 1950, it was not being farmed. Pierre Gelin planted the vines, which are now elders cultivated under organics by his grandson, Pierre-Emmanuel. They grew an intense and powerful Fixin in 2019, the wine’s ripeness highlighted in black-cherry roundness. Bright and fragrant, this has settled into its smoky tannins, bringing gamey meat and iron notes in the end. For the cellar.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Inhabiting the northern reaches of the Côte de Nuits of Burgundy, the Pinot Noir vineyards of Fixin abut Gevrey-Chambertin and produce wines of similar character. The appellation is full of well-reputed Premier Crus that offer some very fine Pinot Noir, even if not quite delivering the exact precision and elegance—nor price tag—of a Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Cru. These are Les Arvelets and Les Hervelets, Clos de la Perrière, Clos Napoléon and Clos du Chapître. A classic Pinot Noir from Fixin will be rich in dark fruit, underbrush and exhibit good structure and minerality.