2015 Fixin Les Crais
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Fixin Les Crais opens in the glass with a generous bouquet raspberries, plums and cassis, complemented by subtle hints of dark chocolate and a subtle framing of wood. Medium to full-bodied, supple and succulent, its ripe core of fruit is framed by powdery tannin and lively acids. This is still a few years away from prime-time drinking so readers are advised to defer gratification a little longer.
Critic scores
Average Score
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
(bottled in February of 2017; production here was no higher than in 2016 owing to drought in '15): Dark red-ruby. Sweet black cherry and spices on the nose and palate. Lovely juicy, easygoing wine with good depth of texture--and nothing rustic about it. Finishes with serious but smooth tannins and noteworthy length. I like the combination of strong phenolic material and energy. Berthaut told me that she has no idea how the '15s will age, pointing out that her first vintage was 2013.
Cask sample. Mid cherry red. Smells soft and dark fruited. Tastes remarkably soft but deep too. Lots of fruit and rounded tannins. (JH)
(20% new oak; Berthaut's vines on this well-drained rocky site range from 10 to 80 years of age; entirely destemmed): Bright medium ruby. Alluring high-toned aromas of cassis, boysenberry, spices, violet and licorice. Rich and pliant in texture, conveying a chocolatey richness and more mineral energy than the basic Fixin. More savory and dense and less obviously sweet but still with plenty of ripe purple fruit. This fruit bomb finishes with sweet, supple tannins and leavening saline minerality.