Tasted with Erwan Faiveley in Nuits St.Georges, 10 December 2020.
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
Erwan on the 2019 vintage chez Faiveley:
“I think 2019, for reds, is practically the best vintage I ever made. It’s hard to be definitive about the vintage in general because the Domaines Familiaux de Bourgogne usually get together to taste everything and this where I get a much wider view – but covid meant that it didn’t happen this year so I’ve not had the chance to taste any wider than my own wines. But still, I think it exceptional. With the whites, I was a little disappointed in July but with the last part of the elevage I’ve been amazed how good the wines have started to show. Reds it’s still clearly a great vintage – the whites I’m still amazed how they’ve improved and I am now very impressed.
“In terms of volumes, the reds are average to low. 2020 is certainly low, mainly with yields in the 20s. The balance and concentration of the 2019s is top – this vintage opened my eyes to the concept that greater wines shouldn’t have more than 35-38 hl/ha.”
The wines…
A really super tasting. Wines that range from very fine to simply great. A very fine cellar here, even in the context of the best wines from 2019.
2019 Mercurey Vieilles-Vignes
A large cuvée that’s worth 27 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 little cherry-stone width to this red fruit aroma. Direct, fresh, depth of flavour – not too sweet. Plenty of middle concentration here – give it two years – nicely perfumed in the finish.
5 November bottling, 10 lieu-dits, 5 hectares.
Perfumed fruit on the nose – nicely open, almost airy. More supple, with a deeper register of flavour, but with freshness and a little extra energy. Vibrantly long still showing oak here but Bravo villages – keep patient with it.
Almost 10 hectares worth in this wine – 23 different lieu-dits – a large part in Justice but the rest is mainly Gevrey from the slopes including Brochon.
That’s a fine and more florally perfumed nose – pure and clean like the others. Supple, deeper, great texture here. Great depth of finishing flavour – almost 1er cru level here.
All you could wish to know here.
That’s the best combination of airy perfume and width of attractive fruit. Beautiful, round, mouth-filling. This with a saline edge to the intensity. High-class Beaune – bravo!
2019 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les St.Georges
Even bettering the Beaune with an extra element of aromatic freshness – a beauty. Concentrated wine, richly flavoured, impressively so whilst staying balanced. Built for a very long life here – I wouldn’t touch one before 10 and probably reaching its apogee between 20-30 years old – excellent wine.
2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
More open, more depth – more easy to assimilate and take enjoyment from today. Hmm – concentrated but more discreet with the power, great texture – sweeping flavours and depth. The tannin only really showing in the finish. Excellent
2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers
4 hectares but only 8k bottles – very low yields here, around 20 hl/ha.
Deep, faintly reductive – ‘the same as in 2016’ says Erwan – Showing more tannin and a more clarity versus the Lavaux but more open flavoured too. Lovely finishing, almost elegant – how often do you say that about Cazetiers? Super wine.
2019 Echézeaux En Orveaux
“Starting with 2015 emphasising 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! A rare wine with a bit of WC here at Faiveley – about 30%.
Much more high toned nose, faint wc references for sure. Wide, mouth-filling, lovely energy – growing more and more vibrant. Extra wide, almost chewy in the finish. Impressive stuff.
3 parcels – of the 2 gates, one is right in the middle
Yes – a floral punch – such a delightfully perfumed nose. Mouth-filling an airy structure and clarity of mouth-watering flavour. Certainly a little tannin but there’s no grain to find. A really great clos of sinewy, brilliant flavour. Bravo! Super-impressive persistence of flavour.
All you could wish to know here.
More rose-perfumed though not overtly a wc perfume. More mineral, a dynamic wine. This is obviously a great Latricières, some finishing bitters but this is a wine where it’s not possible to underestime the class in this glass! Bravo!
2019 Charmes-Chambertin
This one of the few wines tasted here that’s not domaine. Like the St.Georges this is half domaine.
A deeper nose, a little smoky oak in the mix – a nice width too. Supple, mouth-filling, really great texture – a couple of mm of cushioning here – but always mobile and fresh. More weight and depth to the flavour, less elegance and definition vs the Latricieres – excellent wine, but I take the LT – what a great finish though – just have a little patience with this.
2019 Mazis-Chambertin
A much higher toned aromatic. Fresher, more direct, lovely texture. Erwan not happy – and he clearly knows his wines well – so we head to the cellar to taste from the barrel rather than the prepared sample.
A more composed nose. Deeper, a suggestion of reduction but broad and deep-flavoured – the barrel is certainly beter than the sample. That will be excellent.
2019 Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Three parcels, the old vines for the 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 more composed aromatic freshness, a little floral perfume behind. Direct, floral, complex but still a linear style – a little tight. But the mouth-watering, slightly mineral flavours are rather excellent and sustain such an impressive finish.
2019 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Ouvrée Rodin
More airy in style a certain ethereal quality to this width of aromatic expression. Extra direct, extra sleek, brilliant texture to this wine of driving energy. Energy and purity – really a wine of class!
‘You have to enjoy a robust wine but it’s not dry or tannic, it’s round and a little animal’
Broad, red, fresh – a very inviting nose – there’s an obvious clarity to this fruit. Composed but mouth-filling, faint herb in a super complexity. Wide, complex, almost a menthol suggestion in these compex flavours. Brilliant baby Corton.
Les Blancs
These wines not yet bottled:
2019 Ladoix Marne Blanches
All domaine – 3 ha – 2 lieu-dits a combination of the two names, vines now 8 years old. All barrel elevage.
A forward nose, clean ripe, silky. Mouth-filling freshness and a little minerlaity too. Long and nicely structured in the finish.
2019 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
Bought in must.
A fresh, Meursault-spiced nose – very nice. Fresh attack in the mouth, a little structure but there’s also depth to this flavour too. Melting, super finishing – there’s a super wave of finishing flavour. Yum.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ-Gain
Domaine – ‘They gained density in elevage’
A much classier and more pure nose – fresh citrus and minerals. More clarity and drive – like rolling ice-cubes around the mouth. Great, intense citrus finishing. Love!
2019 Corton-Charlemagne
From Rognets just above Clos des Cortons, 4 parcels of different ages. Almost a hectare, but each parcel is quite different to the others. ‘It’s almost bizarre, right in the middle we have sand.’ This the first vintage where Erwan sees this as not head and shoulders above the Puligny wines.
A fine purity – crystallised citrus freshness with minerals. Very mineral in the mouth, composed but still with density of flavour, not quite ready for the big time in the finishing flavours but composed and mineral today – just a little onion-skin telling me that this needs more elevage.
2019 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
That’s a very accommodating perfume – a beautiful invitation. A base of structure and more comfortable fruit surrounding it. The finish widening and widening – grand cru no doubt. Some oak today but that’s allowed at this level! Excellent Puligny GC!
Planted at the same time as the last – long rows, one half is Bâtard the other half of the rows are Bienvenues.
Less impact, finer, wider but tighter in the depth of the aromas despite a slight firework reduction. Some gas – but even more direct, cool-fruited and mineral. Depth of concentration but no suggestion of fat. Extra intensity of finishing flavour – a great wine