The Le Rozier from Cyril Audoin has a pleasant airiness to it, open and generous with raspberry and undergrowth scents neatly aligned. The palate is clean, crisp and fresh with taut tannins, understated at first but showing surprising backbone and assertiveness towards the grippy finish. This is a very well-crafted Fixin that should see a decade in bottle. Tasted March 2013.

From a site just to the south of Couchey’s (Marsannay-appellated) Champs Perdrix, the Audoin 2008 Fixin Le Rozier strikingly signals its change of appellation with firm, slightly rustic tannins and pithy, chalk-infused density. Perhaps as a result of its more austere personality – and relatively discreet sense of dark berry fruit – this also shows its small component of new wood in a way that none of the Marsannay cuvees in this collection did. Still, for sheer rectitude and length, this is impressive. One could wait it out for a few years, and I have no doubt it will remain fresh for 6-8, but don’t expect sensuality or charm. Those growers who opine that the hardness of so many wines from Fixin is reflective of weaknesses among the growers have clearly not considered instances such as this. Cyril Audoin – who joined his mother and father (the domaine’s namesake) in 2000 – is impassioned about demonstrating what he believes is the largely unrecognized potential of Marsannay, and now that I have caught up with his wines, I can confidently state that I know of no one other than Philippe Roty who is more deliciously or profoundly succeeding in that demonstration, which means that given the modest prices asked for them, these wines represent some of Burgundy’s better values. Furthermore, this estate’s nearly 40 acres of largely old vines (or vines grafted over to selections massales) from a smorgasbord of distinctive sites makes possible striking demonstrations of terroir in action (though that very abundance also meant I was not able to taste quite the entire range in the time available to me.) “I’m lucky,” says the younger Audoin, “that my parents set a model for making very classic wines,” which for him means inter alia no fining or filtration, a single racking, and an elevage of 18 months, the last 6 normally in tank, from which I tasted the 2008s early this year. (The Audoin whites, too – on which I’ll report later – are impressive.)Importer: Martine’s Wines. Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-040

Rose and violet aromas give way to blackberry and black currant flavors. This is chunky in style, with slightly burly tannins, but the finish is sweet fruit. Best from 2009 through 2018. 290 cases made. -BS