Product information

$47

$44ea in any 3+
$41ea in any 6+
Closure: Cork
Faiveley is definitely a Domaine on the Ascention

Description

Made from fruit across the Côte, it’s a barometer for the quality of the vintage as a whole. Generous fruit of poached quince & strawberry compote sit just on the fresh side. A zippy line of acid giving it energy. A little musk and pleasing sappiness combine with a dark mineral edge to add intrigue. A fine dusting of tannin sit nicely in this playful wine of excellent value.

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Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Faiveley

Based in Nuits-St-Georges, the famous Domaine Faiveley was founded in 1825 and in more recent times, the domaine has greatly expanded its vineyards across the entire Côte d’Or. The grapes are entirely destemmed and fermented in a mix of new wooden vats for the top end wines and stainless steel for the lesser cuvées. Once notorious for being fairly austere, there has been less emphasis on extraction over the last ten years and the wines show increased freshness, purity of fruit and more judicious use of oak. A contender for one of the most improved domaines in Burgundy over the last decade.

The Evolution of Faiveley

Erwan Faiveley made two important announcements a few years ago.

The first was that a new state-of-the-art cuverie was operational. It is elegant, spacious and efficient and will offer the inestimable advantages of room to work, which is rarely the case in Burgundy’s often cramped wineries.

The second was arguably more important in that it heralds a change in style. Long-time readers may remember that in 2007 the Domaine made the dramatic decision to change the style of its reds, which up to that point could be fairly described as unapologetically old school. In other words, reds that were firmly structured, sturdy and built-to-age for the long-term. In 2007 this at times rustic style was discarded in favour of wines that possessed more elegance and finesse in the hopes of creating more supple burgundies that required less long-term cellaring.

“While we like the current style and what it offers, for several years we were feeling that perhaps we had strayed too far from our roots. To this end, we finally asked if there might not be a way to combine the two in a way that remained true to our history but didn’t require 20 years before the wines were completely ready to drink. So now we’re looking for more density and riper tannins while doing our best to retain a more refined mouthfeel. To achieve this we’re harvesting a few days later in the search for a higher level of phenolic maturity and then vinifying the fruit in a fashion that reduces forced extraction and emphasizes natural extraction. In other words, we will take what the fruit has to give in any given vintage without forcing more out of it that often results in overtly extracted wines.” Faiveley

Erwan Faiveley, the seventh generation owner of one of Burgundy’s largest grand cru site holders, Domaine Faiveley, is making a sharp turn away from his father’s big and tannic winemaking style. After 13 years at the helm of the family estate, the dynamic Burgundy scion confessed that it was only in 2012 that he began to achieve exactly what he wanted in terms of style and concentration.

The video bellow is matched by three others (at the end of the offer) exploring each of the seasons following the full cycle of the vine and wine at Domaine Faiveley.

The 2019 Vintage by Faiveley


From Allen Meadows www.burghound.com

As is typically the case, I met with both Erwan Faiveley and technical director Jérôme Flous. The domaine has huge holdings in the Côte Chalonnaise and they made some interesting comments about it that I include herein for the interest of readers. They noted that “the Côte Chalonnaise really got hurt from a quantity standpoint. The quality is genuinely remarkable, but the wines are concentrated and quite structured and perhaps too serious in the context of the style that most people look in that area. Setting aside the flowering, which did not pass particularly well, the main problem was that much of the Côte Chalonnaise has less marl than the Côte de Nuits and thus it drains better. This can be a qualitative advantage in wet vintages but in very dry ones, like 2019, the hydric stress in the vines can be very problematic for the vines as it causes them to shut down. This is also the case in the Côte de Beaune.

In the end, the quality of the reds is excellent, but the wines are definitely tannic.” With respect to the Côte d’Or they commented that “we picked from the 9th to the 21st of September and the fruit, both chardonnay and pinot noir, was super-clean. Like the Côte Chalonnaise though, yields were quite limited, coming in as they did between 25 and 35 hl/ha, which was also true for both colors. This is the smallest yields that we have had in chardonnay since 2007. Alcohols were relatively high if not truly excessive at between 13.5 and 14.5%. Because of the high level of extractability, we chose to vinify very lightly with limited amounts of whole clusters. When looking at 2018, we were in a sense at the mercy of the raw materials in terms of extraction because the skins were so thick that you could not hav e touched the fermentations and still had very big and tannic reds. In 2019, we had more room to maneuver in terms of an extraction strategy. In retrospect, we chose well because 2019 also gave us quite structured wines so less was more in a sense. As to the wines, the reds are genuinely exceptional with excellent freshness and energy as well as lovely terroir transparency. They’re not necessarily greater than their 2018 counterparts but they are definitely more homogenous.

By contrast, the jury is still out for the whites. They continue to improve month by month and they are already very good. But where they will ultimately come out relative to the 2018s is hard to say.” While it was not presented, I inquired about the Clos de Bèze-Les Ouvrées Rodin and was assured that there will indeed be one in 2019. 

The videos below explore each of the seasons following the full cycle of the vine and wine at Domaine Faively.

Faiveley’s Wines & Vineyards

Faively’s vast holdings stretch from the very top of the Côte d’Or through the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and into the top of the Côte Chalonaise with Pinot holdings in Mercurey. Below are maps of their terroirs. You can enlarge them and explore the regions and vineyards. We’re writing a series of primers on each of the main villages in Burgundy and on Burgundy in general you can check out where we’re up to in the Wine Bites Mag.

Check out all the Articles on Burgundy!

Faiveley Grand & 1er Crus de la Côte de Beaune

Detailed Map of Faiveley’s Côte de Beaune Holdings

Click to enlarge

Faiveley Grand & 1er Crus de la Côte de Nuits

Detailed Map of Faiveley’s Côte de Nuits Holdings

Click to enlarge

Check out all the Article on Burgundy!

91-94 Points

A cool, pure and ultra-fresh nose features plenty of sauvage and underbrush characters on the pretty mélange of wild red and dark berry aromas. The tension-filled and intensely mineral-driven flavors are supported by dense but relatively fine tannins on the explosively long, youthfully austere and serious finale. Unusually for Lavaut, this possesses a beguiling inner mouth perfume that renders this all the more attractive.

Tasted: Jan 10, 2021, Drink 2034+, Issue 81 – Sweet spot Outstanding

Burghound

Where in the world does the magic happen?

Domaine Faiveley, Rue du Tribourg, Nuits-Saint-Georges, France

Côte Chalonnaise
Côte-de-Nuits
Côte du Beaune
Burgundy
France