Domaine Alain Jeanniard, Fixin, En Combe Roy 2022 - 75cl
Fixin sits at the northern edge of the Côte de Nuits, a village more often overlooked than sought out, which is precisely where the value hides. Alain Jeanniard farms from a base in Morey-Saint-Denis, and his En Combe Roy is Pinot Noir grown on the firmer, cooler soils of this stretch, given the same patient handling he brings to his grander cuvées. The 2022 growing season was warm and generous across Burgundy, so this is a Fixin with real flesh rather than the lean, rustic frame the appellation sometimes wears.
The nose leads with ripe dark cherry and blackberry, edged with cracked pepper, a little woodland earth and a savoury note that firms up as it opens. There is proper structure on the palate: the tannins are solid and grainy in the way northern Côte de Nuits fruit tends to be, but the ripeness of the vintage keeps them from turning austere. Dark berry fruit carries through the middle, tightening into a finish that holds a stony, mineral grip. It drinks well now with air, though a couple of years in the cellar will let the tannin settle and the earthier, gamier notes come forward.
How to Serve
Pour at 16°C in a Burgundy glass. Younger bottles reward 45 minutes in a decanter to loosen the tannin and let the fruit expand.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot Soho: a Burgundy-obsessed list where a village Fixin belongs.
The Wolseley: grand-café surroundings for an unhurried lunch.
Bentley's: the game and the room both suit a savoury red Burgundy.
Food Pairings
Roast partridge with bread sauce and a few bitter leaves — the wine's earthiness meets game beautifully.
