01-05-2019
Some famous labels from Domaine Faiveley
Burgundy: just mentioning the name stirs some intense emotions in any wine enthusiast, be it a newbie or an expert. A land where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes express their highest quality through some of the most famous fine wines in the world. A wine region both fascinating and complex, ruled by a strict pyramidal set of classes, which from the regional denomination reaches its peak in the single vineyards of higher quality, in a fascinating mosaic of villages, clos, climats and lieux-dits, from vignerons, domaines and negotiants.
A view of the vineyards of Domaine Faiveley
And in Burgundy you can find Domaine Faiveley, which Pierre Faiveley established in 1825 in Nuits-Saint-Georges: a shoemaker with a great passion for wine. Today Erwan Faiveley and his sister Eve represent the seventh generation of the family, running what, over time, what with inheritances and new acquisitions, has reached a total of 122 hectares of land, with over 56 denominations among which 22 Premiers Crus and 12 Grands Crusstand out. Eve, moreover, is the first woman to hold this role in over 190 years of activity of this historic domaine.
When they took over in 2005, after their father François, Erwan Faiveley immediately decided to change the style of the family production. His goal was to transform some very important wines, destined to a very long ageing before they could be enjoyable, in wines that could be drank and appreciated in a shorter time. A modernisation, so to speak, that was made without revolutionising the production methods and the typical expression of the terroir of Burgundy and of their famous and esteemed labels. Moreover, they did not neglect the increasing importance of respect and safeguard of the environment which at Domaine Faiveley mean they try to intervene as little as possible in the vineyard and currently 75% of the owned land has an organic certification.
Left to right Carl-Stéphane Cercellier, Massimo Sagna, Jérôme Flous, Leonardo Sagna
To put this new phase into action, starting from the vintage of 2007, they called oenologist Jérôme Flous – who’s responsible both for the management of the vineyards and the cellars, so as to avoid any possible management contrast between the two. He was the one who introduced us to some of the most representative labels of Domaine Faiveley in a long and thrilling tasting that took place at Ceresio 7 in Milan. Carl-Stéphane Cercellier, export manager at Faiveley, and Massimo and Leonardo Sagna, importers and distributors in Italy through their Società Sagna– another historic family business – were also there.
The main protagonists of the event were the wines from the 2016 vintage which in Burgundy featured contrasting weather conditions, such as a mild winter followed by a rainy spring with occasional frost. The vegetative cycle, therefore, was slow and even the harvest was late, in order to wait for the perfect ripening of the grapes, which arrived after a hot summer with less rain than average. There were also wines from other vintages such as: 2015 (a vintage with very favourable weather conditions so as to give wines with an excellent ageing potential), 2009 (grapes of excellent quality for round and balanced wines) and 2007 (perhaps the year with the most unusual weather of the last decade, but capable of giving wines both intense and complex, and fine and harmonious).
But the two wines I preferred the most were served during the dinner that followed the tasting. Domaine Faiveley Mercurey 2015 – exclusively from Chardonnay grapes, and the only white wine presented that night – and Domaine Faiveley Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2016: two marvellous expressions of their respective terroir, the first of which also strikes for its value for money. These are bottles that all Burgundy lovers should have in their cellar.
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
Stories of men, women and bottles that enrich the galaxy of wine, in Italy and in the world
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Born in 1974, a graduate in Civil Engineering with an innate passion for cocktails, spirits and wines, he’s never tired of discovering, learning and tasting. Instagram luca.torretta