The producer
Established as a merchant trading in wine in 1825, the various generations of the family have accumulated vineyards so Faiveley is one of the largest landholders in Burgundy with 115ha. While 72ha may be in the Cote Chalonnaise producing fabulous wines of great value, there are 10ha of 13 Grand Cru and 15ha of 25 Premier Cru in some of the finest vineyards on the Cote, including Gevrey, Corton, Puligny, Chambolle, Nuits, Pommard, Volnay, Vosne Romanee and Vougeot. These are the jewels in Faiveley’s elaborately encrusted crown.
Faiveley produced long ageing wines for the second part of the 20th Century often with more than a touch of aggression of tannins and rather rustic fruit. The 21st century has seen a massive transformation and, while the wines retain their depth and concentration, they now show more precision of fruit, with fabulous balance and finesse. These are pure and precise wines that clearly express their individual terroirs, and that seem to just get better and better. Faiveley can seemingly now do no wrong.
The wine
Faiveley owns 0.35 hectares of land in the precious Batard-Montrachet grand cru vineyard. Land is east-facing on clay-rich stony soil, and the vines planted in 1985 and 1997. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels, of which up to 60% are new, and is followed by around 18 months of ageing. This is a wine of intense aromatic complexity, of taut stone fruit, citrus and hazelnut; the palate is velvety and multi-layered.
