2014 Domaine Collote Fixin VV Crais de Chenes 750 ml

Fixin: Gevrey-Chambertin’s Northern Neighbor

Here at WineAccess, we thrive on vintages that are undervalued and villages that are lesser known. We live for that fateful moment when wineries turn the page and clear cellars of underappreciated vintages for the Next Big Thing. So we were waiting in the shadows with checkbooks in hand, ready to pounce, when growers and importers decided it was time to move out the 2014 Red Burgundies for the incoming ‘15s, making it a buyer’s market for us.

And then our old pal, Steve Tanzer, out of the blue, decided to write ANOTHER vintage report for the 2014s just 15 months after his original assessment. Steve brought attention back to the classic 2014 Red Burgundies, calling it “a vintage for Burgundy purists” and putting the spotlight full-blast back onto the vintage. We can’t fault Tanzer, he’s just doing his job, but let’s just say his dogged attention to detail helped us lose out on a few hundred cases of Red Burgundy. No hard feelings, Steve.

Luckily, we had already advanced far enough in our negotiations to hold onto 15 cases of one of the most value-driven Côte de Nuits reds we’ve tasted from classic 2014 vintage: Domaine Collotte’s single-vineyard, old-vine bottling of Fixin “Les Crais de Chêne.”

Philippe Collotte is a tall, quiet man (think Gary Cooper with dirt beneath his fingernails) who works his fields in and around the village of Marsannay along with his daughter Isabelle. His grandfather planted the vines that the Collottes tend today; nearly all of the parcels of the domaine boast vines almost 50 years old.

Those old vines planted on clay-limestone soils are responsible for the Fixin “Les Crais de Chêne.” The grapes are as small as your fingernail and deeply concentrated with flavor. No pesticides or herbicides are used and all of the tilling is done by hand-plow. These wines are old-vine, old school, and meant for old souls.

Bright medium-red color with an expressive, very pure nose with candied orange and a hint of button mushroom complementing the dark cherry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with a ripe attack that transitions into a luscious and pure finish. This is a deep, old-vine wine that is tremendous for the price. Drink now to 2025.

Steve Tanzer has made sure that there won’t be many more bargains to be found among the excellent 2014 Red Burgundies. This is a STEAL: You will not find a better Côte de Nuits Red Burgundy at this price — $34.99! — anywhere. And those WineAccess members slow to the “Buy” button won’t find it here, either. Only 20 cases