2017 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet - Fixin Les Crais

The 2017 Fixin Les Crais comes from vines on ancient alluvial soils, in a single parcel of 1.30 hectares with vines aged between 10 and 80 years. Aged in 20% new oak, it has a very pure bouquet with small dark cherries, hints of boysenberry and black olive compote. The palate is medium-bodied with orange-zest-infused red fruit on the entry. Very finely structured, with crisp tannin and a saline note toward the poised, quite persistent finish. A Fixin that does this appellation proud.

The 2017 Fixin Les Crais is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, cassis, asphalt and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a lavish attack, a succulent core of expressive fruit and a melting but stony finish. I have a weakness for this cuvée, which is hard to resist in its youth but which ages very dependably—in fact, I still have a few bottles of the 1988 in my cellar that are still bursting with lively fruit.