Tasted in Nuits St.George, 29 November 2019.
Domaine Faiveley
8 Rue du Tribourg
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 04 55
www.domaine-faiveley.com
More reports for Domaine Faiveley
Due to a last-minute schedule accommodation, I tasted with a group of Swiss importers and a commercial employee of Faiveley – so not much scope for a depth of response to my questions – or much time to take notes – sorry for that – but there were still some good wines 😉
The 2018 vintage chez Faiveley:
“2018 is a very particular vintage due to the heat. Early harvested – and it needed to be harvested quickly – the tendance is shorter and shorter harvest times – we used to take 3 weeks. In 2018 all three côtes’ harvests began at the same time – up to 14.8° (in Chambolle). It’s a très grand vintage for the reds, they are extraordinary, the whites are not to the same level, lacking a little depth, and the yield will have contributed to that. The reds didn’t have a large volume, indeed the Mercurey of the Côte Chalonnaise was very concentrated this year.”
Erwan Faiveley here.
The wines…
Despite how the tasting unfolded, there are some great wines chez Faiveley in 2018.
Something of a speed tasting and all the wines were tasted from new oak:
2018 Marsannay Les Echezeaux
Some coffee oak on the nose. Supple, great depth of flavour, inflected by the same coffee oak but I have to say, delicious all the same.
Lovely fresh floral top note. Full, excellent dimension of flavour – supple, wide. Ooh, that’s a great Nuits!
2018 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Chaignots
Less aromatic impact but there’s a nicely open fruit here – its inviting. More freshness and energy, super finishing.
2018 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les St.Georges
More complexity but plenty of herb in there too. More mouth-filling, more composed, a little extra intensity and finishing richness, but not the deliciousness of the Damodes today.
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Beau Bruns
A little reduction here. Big, fresh – lovely cool fruit in the mouth – the freshest and most open so far. This is super!
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
A contract for grapes since 2011, do a lot of the work here too. A little wc in this
Hmm, thats fresh and floral – the best Charmes nose this year so far. Lots of volume, super-silky cool fruit, some finishing bitters but this is excellent.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Combe aux Moines
A tighter nose, but there’s a concentration at the core. Volume, great texture, a little alcohol but lots of flavour complexity. Long finishing.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Issarts
That’s a more penetrating and open ripe fruit, nothing excessive. Softer, some oak in the mix. Not the overt greatness of 2016.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers
4 hectares! All is assembled before barreling.
A little reductive. Open, a little muscular, fine texture, but the flavour is strongly affected by the oak today.
“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!
More modest volume of aroma, but very fine. Ooh, thats great – volume, complexity, energy too. Great length too!
2017 Clos de Vougeot
3 parcels – of the 2 gates, one is right in the middle
Here is some floral perfume. Driving, fresh, open oaked, certainly a little austere but I like the shape here.
2018 Charmes-Chambertin
A nose with some compact depth. Nice on the mouth, some reductive oak, long. Another very good Charmes this year.
A little extra width of freshness. A supple entry for a wide cool fruit, touched by a fine, ripe, tannin. The prettiest finishing wine of these. This will be great.
Quite perfumed. Big in the mouth with the freshness of cool fruit and just a little finer tannin again. I prefer the finish of the last and start of this, but both are great.
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 narrower nose but one of class. Ultra-fine texture, great through the middle and into the finish. Bravo!
‘You have to enjoy a robust wine but it’s not dry or tannic, it’s round and a little animal’
A smaller nose but of fine fresh red fruit. A completely different shape, also great texture; faintly velvet, round and rich – without being too round and rich! Super, super, finishing – such great flavour – really great!
Les Blancs…
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Referts
A volume of aroma, almost a Vosne style of complexity. Nice drive and freshness – super balance – interesting that in previous vintages I always though that Faiveley could do with more freshness in their whites. But in 18 it seems to be here.
More width, almost a little spice. Drive again, more mineral, beautiful mouthwatering citrus, great finishing. Bravo!
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ-Gain
Fresh, but it’s a much more compact nose. Mineral, open, lovely energy. Super wine.
2018 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
More floral, faintly reductive. Super, driving, mineral in the mouth, with some fat.
2017 Bâtard-Montrachet
Planted at same time as last, long rows, one half is Bâtard the other half of the rows are Bienvenues.
A compact nose, a little mineral vibration. A little roundness, clarity of fruit, long, oaked needs more elevage (or different barrel mix) to better express itself.
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.’
Here’s a little extra energy and fruit too. Full, complex, great energy. Some oak, but grand vin as always here!