2020 Domaine Livera Fixin, Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

A blend of two estate-owned plots in Fixin. ‘En Olivier’ sits at the tree line, at 960 feet in altitude, next to premier cru ‘Les Arvelets.’ ‘La Place’ is found in the heart of the village, mid-slope. Soils mix limestone and clay; white marl in both plots is believed to contribute a mineral note. AGE OF VINES: 40 to 50 years, on average

Hand-harvested. Destemmed; fermented on indigenous yeasts in tank. Aged in older French oak barrels (20% new). Bottled unfined and unfiltered.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Winemaker Damien Livera since he took over the estate in the late 2000s has effected a sea change in how the family’s vines are cared for, pushing for lower yields and healthier, more balanced fruit—and the quality of his wines has certainly followed suit. Vineyards are cared for sustainably, which includes plowing the soils (no herbicides) and using indigenous yeasts in the cellar. A majority of the estate’s older Pinot Noir vines were planted in the 1950s and 1960s.

Grapes are harvested by hand and mostly destemmed, fermented in tank and then aged in French oak barrels in the family’s very cold cellars. (Malolactic fermentations on average here are very slow, sometimes extending over a year.) The family uses from 25 percent new oak on base wines to 40 percent on villages-level wines; and between 50 to 100 percent for grand crus. Our selections are bottled unfined and unfiltered.