Faiveley – 2017

3.1.2019billn

Tasted in Nuits St.Georges with Erwan Faiveley, 30 November 2017.

Domaine Faiveley
8 Rue du Tribourg
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 04 55
www.domaine-faiveley.com

Erwan on 2018:
2018 – a vintage that was quite complicated. We’re not exactly organic, it’s just the fungicide that’s holding us back in the fight against the mildew – we don’t use copper for that – but that was the most difficult thing in 2018. Not too much of drying of the grapes – and the wines look balanced but currently a little fragile – with their modest acidity we have to be so vigilant with brett in mind – there’s a risk, but just that. For the whites, we were surprised how quickly people jumped in to start their harvests – will the wines be a little green? I just sometimes find it a little bizarre, but reds with a good elevage without volatile or brett will be fantastic, for the whites I’ll wait until the malo is done.

Erwan on 2017:
In 2017 we were so extended from Mercury to here that the date of starting to pick means a little less. Côte de Nuits was picked after the rain, but rather we pick too early than too late. There’s a good balance, and there are a few things here that are simply exceptional but its irregular. Globally its good, but it’s not a vintage for blind buying. I think the grand crus of the Côte de Nuits are simply splendid. Vosne was hit by frost in 2016 but I don’t have a great idea how it went there. At the end of April it was exactly like 2016 but with the worry of frost so some didn’t do all the debudding that they otherwise would have done, given that, doing a green harvest was really too late. If you didn’t take the risk in 2017 you don’t have good wine. The whites are extraordinary, and the vines didn’t explode with volume after the frost like the pinots. I see ‘European fruits,’ not lychee or annanas. It’s the best Clos de Vougeot for a long time, Latricières and Charmes – Gevrey is the epicentre of great wines, grand crus with personality – plus the Chambolles, are just great. The grand whites will probably be bottled after the grand reds, but we will like to see how both evolve – there’s no rush!

“In a nutshell I’m very happy – The 2007s here have never closed, i have the hope that 2017 will be the same…

The wines…

The Mercureys are excellent, the 1er crus are good but largely not spectacular, but the gcs? They are also excellent!

These Mercureys are all in bottle. Assembly before the harvest and the bottling after. Framboisière a little later – actually just in the last couple of weeks:

2017 Mercurey Vieilles-Vignes
A large cuvée that’s worth 25 hectares, with the exception of the Frambiosiere all the villages vines are assembled in this wine. 11 months of elevage, 55% sold in France
A bright, fine fruit on the nose. Supple, fine weight, fresh, almost faintly mineral. Lovely finish, really lovely – great qpr!

2017 Mercurey Framboisière
A little whole-cluster used here. 11 hectares on a villages appellation, a little more new oak – 20%. The vineyard is in a small valley so has multiple exposures and sub-plots so it’s not all picked at the same time, though elevage is all together. The oldest vines date from the 1940s. Some mid-slope vines are on limestone and the bottom has red soil and clay where the tannins come from
Ooh a more intense fruit with drive here. Volume, a touch more tannin, more dimensions of flavour – vibrant finishing again – wait a little for this. But super.

2017 Mercurey 1er Clos Myglands
Like Framboisière this is another monopole, only about 100m from Framboisière, extending over 6 hectares.
A more profound fruit – a little darker. Brighter, fresher, the structure less evident, the intensity a little higher – really great this year – bravo!

2017 Mercurey 1er Clos du Roy
White soil, facing directly south.
This nose is much tighter. Less round, more a wine of drive, of modest intensity but there’s energy to the pure fruit. A great finish. To wait for.

2017 Volnay 1er Fremiets
It was a horror to keep the yield down here after being destroyed by frost in 16.
Ooh – a great nose. Sleek, faint CO2. Not a concentrated wine but one of ever-growing intensity with an ever-widening finish.

2017 Nuits St.Georges 1er Porrets St.Georges
In 1834 these were the first vines bought by family
A tighter nose but still pure and floral. Round, well constructed, tannin but modestly so, sweetness that could come from 15 or 16. Tasty wine.

2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
A contract for grapes since 2011, do a lot of the work here too. A little wc in this
Clarity – gorgeous fruit aromatics. Round, good fresh energy, great complexity. Ooh this is delicious.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Issarts
A deeper register of fruit. A touch of gas, layered, thoughtful, concentrated wine. Then an extra peak of finishing intensity – tighter than the others but with great promise. Super wine, but not quite the brilliance of the 2016.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers
4 hectares! All is assembled before barreling – ‘it didnt used to be like this.’
Ooh, deep, aromatic, complex, oaked. Full but fresh, mobile, good but not excessive energy – it’s a new barrel so there’s some of that too – but this is really a great wine, textured, and delicious. A wall of finishing flavour.

2017 Echézeaux En Orveaux
“Starting with 2015 we’ll begin to follow the trend to emphasise the name of the plot. I think we have one of the best plots, touching Prieur’s Musigny.” Here in the valley it’s like a half-pipe!
Oak spice, complexity, less full than Cazetiers. More open, more energy, there’s more action here, but a little extra tannin with a drier touch too – maybe wc – but no, not this year – some in 18 though. The 2016 of this was great, this isn’t quite to the same level today.

2017 Clos de Vougeot
3 parcels – of the 2 gates, one is right in the middle
Not wide, but such a depth of pure, dark-red fruit, slowly opening with beautiful flowers. Ooh, not that massive though still as much volume as any – but a depth and precision to the flavours, well structured but never austere. Slowly mouth-watering in the finish… long. Contemplative. Fine….

2017 Latricières-Chambertin
Relatively tight but deep and slowly more vibrant, growing a floral perfume at the same time. Big, round, but with energy, vibrant and complex – it will be excellent!

2017 Mazis-Chambertin
I wait for some oak spice to fade and then this is great, lovely florals. Round, more energy, lively deep wine. Soo different, deep, delicious wine.

2017 Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Three parcels, the old vine for Rodin, and the two parcels that are assembled – a part is being replanted – old vines but not great vines so goodbye to them. ‘There’s an extra richness here that i think comes from elimination these vines.’
A touch of reduction, but what a deep, comforting, complex nose – yes! Full, concentrated, more Chambertin style, so clearly great.
2017 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Ouvrée Rodin
In 2017 it’s a selection difference – the oldest vines – not a parcel difference.
Really a finer and more floral width – less overtly deep. So fresh and direct, some tannin at the base, but this is a wine of fresh concentration and finesse. Really it keeps delivering another flavour every few moments into the finish. A beautiful floral aspect to this fabulous wine.

2017 Musigny
The second vintage to include the new parcel from the Dufouleur acquisition – assembled in tank for vinification. I also note that there’s now no lock on the barrel bung!.
Deep, a hint of reduction, but it’s also the weight of aroma with some fumé oak. Large in scale, lots of complexity, plenty of oak. Architectural like a CV, vibrates on the finish, which is so long.

2017 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley
‘You have to enjoy a robust wine but it’s not dry or tannic, it’s round and a little animal’
Ooh, that’s perfumed – so good. Volume, saline-edged tannin, but modest tannin just the slightest of grain, long, wide, delicious wine

Les Blancs…

2017 Mercurey Clos Rochette
Bright, fresh, almost a Montagny sherbet to this nose. More depth and weight like a Mercurey, wide, concentrated but with just enough elan and eclat. Very tasty indeed.

2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ-Gain
Hmm, a relatively tight nose. Wide, fine textured, energy and direction together – a touch of richness, maybe even fumé from the barrel but super wine.

2017 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
That’s a tight start, beautifully growing though, almost a floral nose. Always a richness here, but layered, wide, complex flavour – ever more in the finish – a great finish!

2017 Bâtard-Montrachet
Planted at same time as last, long rows, one half is Bâtard the other half of the rows are Bienvenues.
Another tight but beautifully floral and perfumed nose. More volume, melting, layered, more mineral, more overt complexity. So excellent.

2017 Corton-Charlemagne
From Rognets just above Clos des Cortons, 4 parcels of different ages. Almost a hectare, but each parcel is so different to the others. ‘It’s almost bizarre, right in the middle we have sand.’
Also a little tight but some extra freshness here. Directly more open, fresh and energetic, great mid weight, only very slowly fading in the finish – grand vin!

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