From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tasting Notes: The wine presents a distinctly earthy, Sauvage-inflected nose dominated by ripe dark berries. This is effusive and fragrant; the aromas are sultry yet elegant, with fruit that leaps from the glass. Rounded notes of cherry add a bouncy, friendly character, making the wine feel inviting and approachable. The palate's racy, delicious, and pliant flavors lead to a refreshing and moderately rustic finish, perfect for enjoying young to savor its vibrant fruit. The spice is subtle and complimentary, enhancing rather than overshadowing the fruit. Aromatically, it embodies the typical charm of a Côte de Beaune, with an exuberant and lively profile that contrasts with the more fruit-and-spice center focus and serious nature of the Côte de Nuits. This wine smells like a party in a glass, full of life and character.
About. Perhaps more than any of his peers, Fichet is testing the limits of transparency, to find the very soul of Meursault’s terroirs. It was Meursault’s destiny to have its soils revealed in this way: their intense stoniness is magnified by an exceptionally low water table, forcing the vines’ roots deep underground. Even if uneconomical, Fichet would rather produce a very small amount of wine from his best sites than to lose their unique character in a blend. Fichet has flown largely under the world’s radar. He began as a grower in 1981 but was forced to rebuild his domaine from scratch in the 1990s, having lost all his best fruit sources—including a piece of Meursault-Perrières—for lack of long-term contracts. But he learned from this experience. By 2000, he had used carefully negotiated long-term fermage and mètayage agreements to create an extraordinary new domaine, brimming with exceptional sites. Fichet’s methods reflect his philosophy: he is famously meticulous and abhors taking short cuts. His low yields, the foremost key to quality, are achieved through severe winter pruning rather than by green harvesting.
