2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
Here’s another Burgundian village appellation that has always remained in the shadow of a more famous neighbor, in this case Gevrey-Chambertin. Fixin is known locally as the village to go to for solid yet affordable cru burgundy with the structure, concentration, and complexity similar to Gevrey-Chambertin’s wine, as well as the bright fruit and accessibility of its other neighbor, Marsannay. Besides its reputation for value, it is also famous locally as the hometown of Captain-Grenadier Claude Noisot, a fanatical loyalist to Napoleon who stood by his side until the bitter end. After Napoleon’s demise, Noisot built a park in Fixin dedicated to his hero, with statues, a museum, and native Corsican Laricio pine trees. Upon his deathbed, he asked to be buried in uniform, upright and at attention, saber drawn, facing Napoleon’s grave. Alas, the impenetrable limestone rock under Fixin prevented his wish from ever being realized. That same limestone might explain the appeal of Fixin’s Pinot Noir.
—Chris Santini
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Pinot Noir |
Appellation: | Fixin |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Régis Bouvier |
Vineyard: | 0.31 ha, 30 years |
Soil: | Limestone with marly clay |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13% |
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Bourgogne
Domaine Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Domaine de Villaine France | Burgundy | Côte Chalonnaise
Domaine Robert Chevillon France | Burgundy | Nuits-Saint-Georges
Domaine Taupenot-Merme France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Domaine de la Cadette France | Burgundy | Vézelay
Domaine Follin-Arbelet France | Burgundy | Romanée-Saint-Vivant
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Viré-Clessé
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Pouilly-Fuissé
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Domaine Robert Chevillon France | Burgundy | Nuits-Saint-Georges
Domaine de la Cadette France | Burgundy | Bourgogne
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
Drinking distilled spirits, beer, coolers, wine and other alcoholic beverages may increase cancer risk, and, during pregnancy, can cause birth defects. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/alcohol
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