Here’s to exploring Fixin AOC, the northernmost appellation of the Côte de Nuits in the Côte d’Or of Burgundy!
Fixin is home to 6 premier cru climats including Clos Napoléon. It’s primarily known for its Pinot Noir (approx. 96%) but also produces Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc.
Fixin rouge wines are sometimes compared to its neighbor to the south, Gevrey Chambertin AOC, but with a lighter body and profile. It can be a great source of value in an increasingly expensive region.
Tonight, we’re enjoying the 2019 Pierre Gelin Fixin rouge 1er Cru Clos Napoléon.
Clos Napoléon is also a monopole, owned exclusively by Domaine Pierre Gelin today. It’s a small but prestigious vineyard, situated on a hillside slope, with old vines dating back 70 years!
This property used to be owned by Claude Noisot, the surgeon to Emperor Napoléon, and the vineyard was formerly called “Aux Cheuzots.”
Claude Noisot renamed the property “Clos Napoléon” in honor of his famous patient and hired a renowned sculptor to create "Le Réveil de (the awakening of) Napoléon” – a nearby statue, featured on this label.
As for this particular wine, it’s beautiful! It’s medium ruby in color. Its bouquet is perfumed and layered with notes of black cherry, mulberry, boysenberry, pomegranate, red plum, fennel seed, fennel fronds, chervil, licorice, clove, cooked morel mushroom, wet earth, vanilla, and saddle leather. The palate is lively with bright acidity and smooth, polished tannins. The alcohol has a delicate warming presence and the finish lingers. — a year ago

Blend of the 1er Crus Sur La Velle, Champs Fulliots and La Taupine. Stunning nose of buttery mineral salty apples. So much minerality. So saline and clean. Palate is rich yet bracing with awesome acidity and freshness. So pure and drinks like a great Meursault. So elegant and lingers. Top shelf. Great spice on the nose. Wet earth. Terrific. So close to 9.5. Palate is gaining complexity. — 2 years ago
Amongst the 25 or so climats of Corton Grand Cru, Les Renardes is generally considered one the powerful ones.
The nose reveals aromas of blackcurrant, red cherry, liquorice, autumn leaves, and hint of rusty iron. Medium to full body with a deep and assertive palate. Minerally crunchy fruits that are still quite fresh. Underbrush and hint of spice leads the long finish. — a month ago
Drank in Hilton Head — a year ago
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
We’re breaking out the Burgundy with this 2011 Domaine Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin, one of nine grand cru climats in Gevrey-Chambertin located in the Côte de Nuits.
It’s a beautiful crimson hue trending garnet around the edges.
On the nose and palate are medium (+) intensity notes of Luxardo cherry, black raspberry, dried redcurrant, strawberry rhubarb preserves, rose water, cardamom and other sweet baking spices, star anise, anise seed, licorice, clove, pencil shavings, sandalwood, potpourri, mushroom, leather, moss, and forest floor.
It has a smooth mouthfeel with ripe, fine-grained tannins and a long, elegant finish. It is layered with complexity, dimension, and wonderful balance. All around superb!
Cheers to the holidays; savor it all!! — a year ago




60% roussanne 40% viognier. Crisp pears and balanced acid. — 2 months ago

“Les Lys” is one of the eight climats within Vaillons but it’s peculiar in terms of its exposure and the soil contains a bit more clay. The wines are equally unique expressions and typically long lived. This bottle is no exception.
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a hour. The 2010 “Les Lys” pours a bright yellow color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with explosive notes of tart and ripe orchard and tropical fruits: green apple, starfruit, passion fruit; a mixed bag of citrus with lemon, lime and even some tangerine. There’s white flowers, a whiff of brioche and racy minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. It has been a few years since I last had the 2010 and it’s no less stunning. Drink now through 2035+ — 6 months ago
Second bottle and impressions are just as good as from back in winter of this year. Lemon zest, bit of white flower, background of minerality. Palate leans Chablisienne, lemon curd, big acidity - delicious for that $13 price. #hautevallee — a year ago
Chateau de Pommard. A beautiful place in the picturesque village of its name’s sake. This is where the micro terroirs of Burgundy, or climats, came to life for us when we visited a year ago. Their vineyard around the Chateau was a mosaic of climats that produced just an incredible diverse and contrasting Pinot Noir wines. The Monopole is a blend of seven different blocks from the limestone and clay-rich terroirs. It is a deeply complex, rich Burgundy Pinot. Layers of reserved red fruit infused with subtle notes of earthy forest floor and mushroom, all wrapped in smooth silky tannins providing a balanced lingering finish. I guess you can tell we are still under its spell 😊 — 2 years ago

Scott Kahn
What a beautiful representation of a balanced Burgundian Chardonnay - from the warmer climats of Burgundy. Rich and round on the palette with stone fruit and a balanced creaminess from the oak élevage. Medium alcohol and medium+ acidity. Lacks some of the minerality of a grand cru burg. — a month ago