Tasted with Jérôme Flous in Nuits St.Georges, 16 November 2021.
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
Jérôme on the 2021 vintage chez Faiveley:
“A catastrophe for the volume in 2021, that’s for sure but the wines are very aromatic and probably for earlier drinking than the most recent vintages – something to drink while you are waiting like 2017 or 2007…”
Jérôme on the 2020 vintage:
“2020 was also a bit of a catastrophe for volume – it was the Côte Chalonnaise that suffered the most – the clays are different there – we can have a month without rain in the Côte de Nuits and you will see hardly any difference but you see the difference in the Chalonnaise – the more north you head we could see the extra balance. So a year that was hot and dry and the sectors that did the best were those with better quality or more clay. Great flowering for the whites but not the best weather for the red flowers – I’ve never seen such a disparity between white and red volumes – we have almost the double for the whites – 25 vs 45 hl/ha. Of course, it was also the earliest vintage chez Faiveley – 3 days earlier than 2003 – so a 19th August start. We see the terroir differences very easily in this vintage – Gevrey or Chambolle – it’s easy to see.”
The wines…
A fine tasting though of wines that clearly – in the main – needed more elevage. Despite a number of obviously great wines, I think that some of my notes will be on the conservative side.
2020 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 – if the vines are old enough. 11 months of elevage, 55% sold in France. Will start bottling next week…
Plenty of aromatic concentration but still a little tight. Bright, wide, concentrated – there’s lovely freshness here. Nicely vibrant in the finish and long finishing. I find some hints of density here but with aeration, this is opening up very nicely…
‘A nice monopole’ – it’s 11 hectares close to the village of Fontaines. ‘Two parcels are practically north facing that are very interesting in the hot years.’ 25% wc and new oak – a mix of coopers.
Some reduction here – clearly not the best time to taste this usually aromatic wine. More mouth-filling and with some extra freshness, extra dimensions of finishing flavour here too – that’s a great finish with much more complexity – that could be a great Mercurey!
All the following tasted from barrel:
2020 Beaune 1er Clos de l’Ecu
All you could wish to know here. De-vatted also in August – the 30th!
A more ready nose with a width of spiced complexity. Bright, fresh, plenty of acidity in this width of flavour. The finish still shows the barrel but that will quickly fade, long waves of flavour. Excellent wine.
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
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.
Less colour in this wine. More airy in style – quite a fine nose. Mouth-filling but open rather than dense, tannin but with no grain. Creamy-accented finishing flavour, almost a little herb – I’d keep this a little while to bring extra completeness. Good wine…
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Damodes
Hmm – flighty, airy but with fine focus to this darker fruit! Mouth-filling again but with beautiful texture and openness – the oak disturbs the peace a little but will be gone 12-18 months. Slowly and attractively mouth-watering. That’s more than very good – direct and fine!
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les St.Georges
More height and depth to this very silky aroma – it makes a strong, impressive, impression. Mouth-filling again – lovely structure, slightly drying tannin but with no visible grain. The oak is almost gone. Slowly fading – classy, excellent, wine…
2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Charmes
Less colour. Here’s a nose that’s full and floral – really lots of round perfume, slightly smoky rose – but no wc here. Beautiful on the palate, strong perfume that reflects the nose, mouth-filling without excess weight, with a graphite style to the finishing flavours. Lots of scale and flowers but particular – I’d love to follow this excellent wine…
Only a little more colour than Chambolle. Less forward but gorgeously complex and pure aromas – that’s great. Fresh, sinuous a little direct, so complex – so great! Bravo!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cazetiers
4 hectares – a richer more sunny location.
Also not so deeply coloured. Here the nose is less elegant but also complex with spiced bread and darker fruit. More supple concentration but still cool-fruited and mobile. An impression of a stronger core here – but one that needs to open up – it’s excellent but today give me the Lavaux…
2020 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley
All you could wish to know here.
A vertical nose of flowers above and deep, deep fruit below – that’s a fine invitation. This is properly shaped for a Corton – if still a little padded at the edges. Mouth-filling and always mouth-watering – but not quite the same level of definition as the previous wines. The finish is calm, persistent and a little saline. This needs plenty of time to bring the transparency – I wouldn’t touch one for a few years…
2020 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 20%.
Very different. Here the nose has a very fine complexity but is not yet showing purity – it needs more time. Beautiful in the mouth – form without weight – the purity is here, framed with complexity – quite contemplative and hold such an impressive breadth of finishing flavour. That’s completely excellent!
3 parcels – of the 2 gates, one is right in the middle
A little more colour than the previous wines. This is aromatically super – a fresh width of spiced complexity but with clarity too – a great nose. Yes! Mouth-filling, architecturally shaped, cool fruit – a little tannic dryness but no grain. This will be great
2020 Latricières-Chambertin
All you could wish to know here.
A little more weight behind these aromas but not at the expense of lucidity – that’s a great nose of medium-red coloured fruit and tons of extra complexity. Mouth-filling, a little grain of tannin – and plenty of energy. Slowly relaxing over the palate the delivery of flavour widening into long, wide waves of flavour, getting slower and more contemplative towards the finish. This wine always potentially great – today it is certainly excellent!
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 rounder nose, more ready, perhaps, than the Latricières today. More direct, cool fruited, energetic – pure, so very classy, then a little extra finishing tannin – a wine that’s always moving, less contemplative finishing vs the Latricières. Actually, I would take this of the two today – and I don’t often say that.
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.’
There’s plenty of volume here but this nose is quite smoky from the barrel today – so I can’t rate it as high as the Latricières today. But in the mouth, we have a different discussion – so pure – a clarity of mineral-infused flavour – open the structure, save a suggestion of tannic grain that is hardly visible, so impressive is the balance that this is easy to drink today – but what a drink! Bravo.
50% whole cluster but the largest part, the middle of the stem, is cut out.
That’s really quite a forward nose – the whole-cluster is just a small part of a swathe of aromatic perfume – wow! Mouth-filling, not the most incisive but close, some textural tannin but never any grain. I find the complexity so amazing. This has to be bought with at least a 20-year timeline in mind – but it will be great. The finish is incredibly long…
Les Blancs
Only 5 entry wines are in DIAM, all the rest are cork. They continue with tests – since 2009 – but are not convinced when they compare to cork. They have no faults but we seem to ‘lack harmony…’ These wines not yet bottled:
The entry wine of the domaine – This will be bottled in December
That’s quite a classic Montagny nose with a little sherbet energy. Wide, slowly filling the mouth, that’s just a beautiful Montagny – bravo!
Monopole, also neighbouring Framboisière. The bottom of the slope is a little richer soil and it’s this part that mainly sees some barrel elevage.
A more mineral depth – fresh but also more concentrated. Energetic, vibrant wine – a richness of fruit but never a textural richness – this is always finely energetic. That’s another great entry wine – bravo!
2020 Ladoix Marne Blanches
All domaine – 3 ha – 2 lieu-dits, vines now 9 years old. All barrel elevage. Have added a new cuvée name to this domaine wine – assembly of Blanchardes and Les Marnes
A more concentrated core of fruit here. Wide, that’s super – really intense but with a cushion of slight richness, long finish and slightly chalky at the end. Delicious and excellent, slightly phenolic texture at the end…
2020 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
This a contract – all the other whites tasted here are from the domaine.
That’s quite good – a little vibration of energy and a suggestion of ginger spice – nice. Mouth-filling with a nice energy, slowly mouthwatering, really a lot of wine here – such that the flavour grows for a time after you swallow. Strong and persistent. That’s a super wine.
2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ-Gain
Domaine – ‘They gained density in elevage’
A width of pure yellow citrus – that’s very attractive. Yes. That’s energetic but concentrated too. The tension that’s needed to balance the richness of fruit is in place. The finish is quite sparkly and complex – that’s really super – as a minimum it’s excellent.
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 is a smaller nose today. Though with a nice width – pretty and quite complex. In the mouth, we have something extra-special – so mouth-watering – almost an impression of the pulp of the grapes. This is usually great wine – this year it’s extra great – bravo!
2020 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
Some extra textural depth to this nose. Mouth-filling, very different to the Charlemagne – mineral but different in style, a little more rigour – but a great finish, really great. Excellent grand cru and of character too, just missing the ‘extra’ of the last wine…
Planted at the same time as the last – long rows, one half is Bâtard the other half of the rows are Bienvenues.
More airy and complex but without the textural aromatic depth of the last wine. Ooh – but that’s great – wide-screen panorama of flavour here, extra complexity and a little accent of salinity too. Finishing with a faint dryness- the ‘Papa’ says Jerome – and indeed. A great wine – but if can take only one, it’s going to be the Charlemagne this year.