One of my merchants organized a visit to Domaine Faiveley when I was in Burgundy last summer. Impressive facilities (newly built). Also very pleased with the quality. Impeccable wine making, polished wines that show fruit, tannins and oak well managed. What a difference to the period before 2005 when they were often rustic. Kudos to Erwan Faiveley, the current generation in charge! I really enjoyed the visit and Faiveley showed a significant number of wines of the stellar 2015 vintage.
Since Faiveley is a large house, producing wine at every level and therefore also have their brand present in supermarkets, there is a brand inferior (the opposite of a premium) on this producer vs. prestigious family firm such as Liger-Belair, DRC, Roumier & Co. So, for non-label oriented drinking Burgundy lovers, this presents an opportunity as the wines are comparatively inexpensive, vs. the “cult” producers. With wine making vastly improved, Faiveley 1er Crus (Laxaux St.Jacques, Cazetiers, Les St.Georges, Combe d’Orveau, Combe aux Moines, Les Amoureuses) and Grand Cru’s (Clos de Beze, Mazis, Clos de Corton) are worth a purchase.
Faivele’s impressive cellars in Nuits-Saint-Georges
White wines
2015 Faiveley Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain, 92 Points
During Domaine visits, only brief impressions. Another strong showing of wines below Grand Cru from this estate. Lovley fruit, lots of apple, very measured oak, creamy and fresh.
2015 Faiveley Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, 94 Points
During Domaine visits, only brief impressions. Fresh nose of apple, touch of vanilla and citrus. Good volume on the palate. Enough freshness, succulent finish. Nice but no where near the impressive Corton Charlemagne which is quite a bit cheaper too.
2015 Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne, 95 Points
During Domaine visits, only brief impressions. Wow! Very purfumey nose of apple, cistrus, minerals. Racey and creamy palate at teh same time. Sappy finish. Ripe 2015 style combined with the fresh Corton Charlemagne terroir. A really wonderful Chard – even for a Riesling GG drinker like myself.
Red wines
Village wines
2015 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, 91 Points
Very aromatic Gevrey nose with earth and game, very good volume, a really convincing Village.
2015 Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny, 90 Points
Lovely nose with red fruit, flowers. Very fruity and elegant on the palate, Chambolle style. Good but I preferred the Gevrey VV Village.
Premier Crus
2015 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Chaignots, 92 Points
During a Domaine tasting, only brief impression. Best not to open before 2023.
2015 Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveau, 95 Points
Medium ruby. Discrete nose of spices, red fruit. The palate has very good volume, especially for a Chambolle, with soft but grippy tannins in the background. A very complete package. Will be a winner once it ads tertiary complexity.
2015 Faiveley Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, 94 Points
Lovley, red and dark fruit, very soft for a Pommard, not your rustic bruiser. Still, enough structure, clever wine making here. Opened up after ca. 1.5h in the decanter and showed more and more of its deep terroir. Will be good once mature. Drink after 2022. Kudos. 94-95
2015 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Porêts Saint-Georges, 93 Points
This was a bit more rustic than the other wines in the range. Good dark fruit, spices and solid mid mouth fill. Will need time.
2015 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges, 94 Points
Crunchy red fruit, lively, good structure and mid mouth volume. Great wine. Better than any other vintage I had. Give this cellar time till 2022 though. 94+
2015 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines, 94 Points
Another great 2015 from Faiveley. Bright red fruit, raspberry, some vanilla and a touch of earth. Sappy palate, young with polished tannins, good mid mouth presence and finish. Combe aux Moines has been a favorite vineyard in the Gevrey 1er Cru league with Fourrier making the benchmark wine. This one is not far off in terms of quality. The style is similar. Silky, elegant wine.
2015 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers, 94 Points
Expressive nose, very fruity and grapey, bright berry fruit, measured oak, not much terroir tones appearing yet, but really likable aroma profile. Good volume upon palate entry, generous fruit with enough acidity (the 2015 vintage is really great from that side, I have not seen some of roasted notes or low acidity/tannins as in some 2009), already well integrated tannins. Very competent wine making here. Modern but true to terroir and varietal. Can be drunk now how succulent this is but if but if another 3-4 years to develop some secondary aromas.
2015 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques, 94 Points
Very appealing and complex nose around dark and red fruit, smoke, game earth. Medium body, dense, freshness and tannins also there. Well done. I prefer this slightly to the Cazetiers due to the additional aromatic complexity it showed today, both are really convincing 1er Crus. 94-95
Grand Crus
2014 Faiveley Charmes-Chambertin, 94 Points
Feminine, floral nose with red fruit, a bit more closed than the Lavaux St.Jacques next to it. Elegant and soft palate, good strucutre and freshness. Another really mice wine in this impressive and consistent line up but worth twice the price than the Lavaux 1er Cru?
2015 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin, 96 Points
Wow, another really nice wine. Here the soft, elegant side of the Latricieres vineyard comes through. Lovely aromas more in the red fruit spectrum than the darker Corton, even some mint and citrus tones. Very good stuff.
2015 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin, 95 Points
At the beginning, very chocolaty nose, then disappearing over the dinner. Terroir notes coming thorough after that. More dark pitched than the other wines, earthy notes, smoke. The tannins are very polished also here but wait another 5 years before opening this. 95-96
2015 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley, 96 Points
Dark ruby. Deep nose of red and black fruit, gingerbread, earth, smoke, complex. Wonderfullly rich palate, soft tannins for a Corton, generouns fruit with freshness and appropriately astringent finish. This will be grand once mature.
Conclusion
A very impressive set of wines in the 2015 vintage for Faiveley. A lot of progress vs. the past. Given the quality and price, they will definitely find their way into my cellar.
Author: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
July, 2017