2016 Vincent et Denis Berthaut - Fixin Les Arvelets 1er Cru

(tasted from tank; only five barrels were made as there was a bit of frost here, followed by some hail; Berthaut also pulled up part of this vineyard three years ago; vinified with 20% whole clusters and raised in 40% new oak): Good deep red with ruby tones. Black cherry, dark raspberry and suggestions of iron and tobacco on the nose. Fat and sweet for Fixin, and showing an obvious element of spicy oak. A lovely supple yet strong Fixin premier cru with ripe tannins and very good length. (Incidentally, Berthaut did not make her Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Chézeaux in 2016, only a basic Gevrey villages that had just been sulfured the week before my visit, along with her Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots, Vosne-Romanée Les Petits Monts, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers and Clos Vougeot.

The 2016 Fixin 1er Cru Les Arvelets was affected by both frost and hail one month afterward, around 27 May. Around 40% of the production was lost. It has a lifted, perfumed bouquet with lovely undergrowth scents percolating through the black fruits that are so well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, crisp acidity, really quite chalky toward the finish that leaves a lovely blackcurrant note on the aftertaste. This is just a consistently great cru from Berthaut, and the 2016s keep the purple patch going.