2018 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin Champs des Charmes Blanc

Community Tasting Notes (2) Avg Score: 90 points

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  11/6/2022 - kuumies wrote:

  Quite timid on the nose with judicious oak, crisp lemon fruit, iodine, just a little bit of butter. Attractive reduction. More Chablis than Côte de Beaune. On the palate quite tightly wound with very good acidity. Nice volume as well and terrific balance. There is some softness marking the vintage but it’s not a soft wine per se and the flavor profile most definitely is in no way tropical. I wouldn’t rush to buy more at the just below 40€ price but it isn’t a horrible value.

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  11/5/2022 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  A rare Fixin Blanc (Chardonnay represents only about 4% of the appellation). The fruit is sourced from a vineyard planted between 2009 and 2015. Cold-soaked for 1-2 days before fermentation, aged for 12 months in oak. 13% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Pale yellow-green color. Ripe, juicy and slightly toasty nose with aromas of sweet Golden Delicious apple, some grilled pineapple tones, light spicy notes of judiciously used oak, a little bit of nashi pear, a flinty hint of reduction and a touch of creaminess. Quite lovely. The wine comes across as quite ripe, broad and somewhat sunny on the palate with a rich and textural yet enjoyably firm overall feel, a moderately full body and vibrant flavors of sweet Golden Delicious apple, some grilled pineapple tones, a little bit of chalky minerality, light crunchy notes of fresh nectarine, a hint of savory wood spice and a reductive touch of flint smoke. The rather high acidity keeps the wine in balanced and lends it nice sense of freshness. The finish is rich, juicy and slightly sweetly-fruited with flavors of ripe Golden Delicious apple, some creamy notes of oak, a little bit of cantaloupe, light chalky mineral nuances, a hint of grilled pineapple and a touch of gunpowder smoke.
  
  This is a quite lovely white Burgundy where the ripeness of the warm 2018 shows to some extent, yet doesn't make the wine come across as soft, blowzy or alcoholic. With the combination of quite ripe fruit and smoky, slightly flinty reduction, my first guess was a Chardonnay from Western Australia. Soon thereafter we landed correctly in Burgundy, although nobody managed to guess Fixin - probably due to the lack of experience with the style! All in all, this is a balanced and thoroughly enjoyable effort for a 2018 white Burgundy, although I admit I probably would prefer a slightly cooler, less ripe style. A thoroughly nice wine, yet still getting perhaps a bit on the pricey side at approx. 40€.

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