Jérome Flous, technical director, said that Faively didn’t really chaptalize 2017, but to do so, it had to wait in harvesting to reach sufficient sugars.
There’s little more new oak than other vintages, he said, because the tannic structure wasn’t fully ripe.
Yields were 40-42 hl/ha on average average.
The Amoureuses (specified as Joseph Faiveley below) is a négociant wine; the rest are estate (Domaine Faiveley).
2017 Mercurey La Framboisière
15% whole cluster. Mineral, strawberry nose and mouth. In the mouth, the wine is medium-weight, dense and pure with mineral strawberry and raspberry fruit. The wine is almost opulent, but doesn’t cross the line. Smooth texture, approachable. 90/A
2017 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos du Roy
Subtle, complex floral nose. Nice firmness, underlying tannins, medium-weight, red and dark fruit, some tannins, can take some aging before fully ready. This wine had been bottled only two weeks prior to my tasting it, so I may have underestimated it. 89+/B+
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges
The village Nuits is dense and pure with dark fruits and tannin for aging. The wine has roundness and excellent length. 91/A
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin vieilles vignes
The village Gevrey is intense, concentrated, deep, and powerful with good energy and dark fruits. 91(+)/A
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Chaignots
The Nuits-Chaignots has a Vosne spice, dark fruits, finesse, and concentration. The wine is fresh, crisp, and precise with a slight oak overtone that will recede with time. Medium-weight, the wine shows good energy and nice acidity. 20% whole clusters. (92-94)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes
Dark fruit, spicy, some oak in the nose. In the mouth, dark fruit, freshness, nervy, good structure and depth, medium-weight. No whole cluster. (92-94)
2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveaux
Medium-weight, intense red fruits, pure, good tannic structure, but not a tannic wine. Smooth texture, some oak vanillins, good length. Needs a few years, perhaps. 20% whole clusters. (92-95)
2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses (Joseph Faiveley)
From purchased grapes. Spicy nose. Beautiful texture — firm but rolling on tongue. Light on tongue. Spicy red fruits. A complete wine, very good representation of the terroir. Round in mouth. 25% whole clusters. (94-96)
No whole clusters in Gevrey’s because the pH’s are naturally high.
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Combe aux Moines
Round, dark fruits, just a hint of animality. Good minerality and acidity, freshness, precision that isn’t always there in Gevrey in 2017. Structure here, but can drink young. (93-95)
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos des Issarts
From both plots (upper and lower — lower was replanted some years ago). Juicy, mineral dark fruits, good nervous acidity; smooth on palate, round tannins. Good precision. But can drink young. Jérome Flous thinks this may be the best Issarts he has produces. (93-95)
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
Faiveley purchased Dupont-Tisserandot back in 2013; the original Faiveley and the Dupont-Tisserandot plots are blended in this wine. The nose is floral. Spicy blackberry fruit in mouth with finesse, subtlety, and elegance. The wine is medium-light on the palate and juicy. Good length. One can drink this wine young, but it has the balance for good aging. A complete wine. (92-96)