Domaine FAIVELEY/Jospeh FAIVELEY -- 2013 Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise from Cask and Bottle

Domaine FAIVELEY/Joseph FAIVELEY* (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

2013s  from Cask and Bottle

Jérôme Flous, who is in charge of making the wines here, said that harvesting began on September 25 – on the Côte de Beaune. The whites were not badly hit by hail, but the reds on the Côte de Beaune were. The early harvest for the whites meant that the botrytis that later developed was not an issue here. The harvest for the reds began on October 7, meaning that there was some rain. All grapes were entirely destemmed. For some wines, malolactic fermentations were late, for some the were not.

Jérôme said that in general, the Côte Chalonnaise wines would be bottled in December, the Côte d’Or wines in February and March.

Domaine Faiveley is the name used for wines from vineyards Faiveley owns or leases, and Jospeh Faiveley is the name used for negociant wines. Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are Joseph Faiveley, the rest are Domaine Faiveley.

We start with the reds:

2013 Mercurey 1er Cru – Clos des Myglands

This wine was bottled a week prior to my visit on November 17. It has raspberries in the nose and mouth. It is medium-weight, round, and sensual, even though there are tannins present. It should make for good drinking young, but also with some aging potential. 90/A

2013 Mercurey 1er Cru – Clos du Roy

The floral nose is followed by a palate that is light, elegant, and long with raspberry fruit. The wine is harmonious and shows finesse and energy. Both this wine and the Clos de Myglands present potential values in a market of escalating prices. (89-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Frémiets*

This wine shows dark fruit, density, purity, and intensity, but with finesse, lightness, and some tannin on the finish. Faiveley does not own this vineyard but does do the work in the vineyard. (89-92)

2013 Pommard 1er Cru – Les Rugiens

This wine was still quite unformed when I tasted it and showed quite a bit of oak along with lightness on the palate; it was not easy to judge on this visit. Yield here was but 15 hl/ha. (86-90)

2013 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley

In 2013, no hail on these vines. The wine has dark fruits and is round, long, and pure. It shows less structure and power and more finesse than one usually expects – the finesse of the vintage showing. (92-96)

The whites:

2013 Meursault 1er Cru – Blagny*

The wine shows some pear aromas. The mouth displays good minerality and richness for Blagny, which is high on the hill. The wine has very good length and an overall ethereal quality. (90-93)

2013 Meursault 1er Cru – Charmes*

This wine comes from the upper, or dessus portion of the Charmes, which is considered the superior part. The nose is opulent with ripe quince aromas. The mouth shows good acidity and minerality, and overall the wine is long and nervy. (90-94)

2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru – Morgeot*

The vigneron from whom the grapes were purchased harvested later than Faiveley and the grapes had turned by the time they were brought in. Still, the wine is surprisingly good (at least for now), if atypical, and I would drink it young. The wine shows licorice aromas. It is medium-weight and quite ripe, and seems more Riesling-like than Chardonnay. It will require a careful selection of foods – perhaps a creamy cheese or a rich fish stew. (89-93)

2013 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

The nose here is clear and pure with lime blossoms. The mouth has clear, pure lime fruit and the wine is nervy, medium-weight, and precise with minerality and saltiness. It is very fine BBM. (92-96)

2013 Bâtard-Montrachet

The Bâtard-Montrachet is richer than the Bienvenues but still remains light and ethereal with penetrating minerality. The wine is energetic and shows a bit more creaminess than the Bienvenues. This is excellent Bâtard-Montrachet. (93-96)

2013 Corton-Charlemagne

As good as the previous two were, the Corton-Charlemagne is still better. The nose is quite stony. The mouth is medium-light, mineral, and deep, and the wine is very tightly-wound. This is classic young Corton-Charlemagne. (94-97)