The start of our journey through Burgundy.
Fixin is a village at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits sub-region in Burgundy, best known for its red wines from the grape variety Pinot Noir. Along with its neighbour Marsannay, it is one of the northernmost appellations of the Côte de Nuits, with around 100 hectares of vineyards, evenly divided between Fixin itself and its southern neighbour, Brochon. The style of wine produced in Fixin and Brochon is not much different from that of neighbouring Gevrey-Chambertin (just to the south), being full-bodied and well-structured, but not as complex or deeply perfumed.
An affordable alternative
The reputation of Fixin wines has yet to reach the heights of the other villages on the Côte de Nuits, implying that they do not command such high prices, despite the wines being widely respected. Since Fixin wines are often compared to those from more prestigious communes, they are an affordable introduction to Burgundy’s red wines. About 95 per cent of Fixin wine is red, produced from Pinot Noir.
White wines by law
The appellation laws also cover the production of white Fixin Blanc wines. These are made exclusively from Chardonnay grapes. The climate here is continental, with relatively hot, dry summers and cool, crisp winters. This climate type brings large daily temperature variations, especially in summer, which helps maintain a balance between natural sugars and acidity in the wines.
Terrain
Although Fixin and Brochon do not have the same terroir complexity as the communes further south in the Côte de Nuits, there is a superior group of vineyards on the slopes immediately above Fixin. Here, the terrain rises rapidly from 290 to 350 meters (950 to 1150 feet), creating some relatively steep, well-drained sites with the limestone-rich soils characteristic of Burgundy.
This is where the appellation has a small handful of Premier Cru sites, mainly located around the western side of the village of Fixin itself. Wines from these sites can be labelled with the name of the vineyard, added to that of the village, and carry the title Fixin Premier Cru.
Well-known producers are:
- Domaine Pierre Gelin
- Domaine Bethaut-Gerbet
- Meo-Camuzet
- Joliet Pre & Fils
- domaine Denis Mortet
- Rene Bouvier
- Albert Bichot
- Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret
- Domaine Leroy,
- Domaine Charles Audoin,
- Domaine Jean Tardy & Fils
- Derey Freres
- Domaine Michel Noellat
- Domaine Michel Magnien
- Domaine Lignier-Michelot
- Domaine Dugat-Py
- Louis Jadot
- Alain Guyard
- Domaine Jean Fournier
- Domaine Alain Jenniard
This article was written by OnlyBurgundy.com and is part of the series ‘Burgundy Wines.’ You can read all about Burgundy and its fantastic wines in this series.
