(Originally published 3 March 2017.)
Erwan Faiveley said that the changes to more elegant wines when he took over and brought in Bernard Hervet had maybe gone too far, and the 2015s represented an adjustment back, reaching a happy medium. I agree wholeheartedly, with the 2015s arguably being the most memorable of my more than twenty years of annual visits to Faiveley. The one unfortunate drawback was that the wines from Chambolle-Musigny were all completely reduced, and so not in condition to permit tasting them when I visited.
Erwan Faiveley said that the changes to more elegant wines when he took over and brought in Bernard Hervet had maybe gone too far, and the 2015s represented an adjustment back, reaching a happy medium. I agree wholeheartedly, with the 2015s arguably being the most memorable of my more than twenty years of annual visits to Faiveley. The one unfortunate drawback was that the wines from Chambolle-Musigny were all completely reduced, and so not in condition to permit tasting them when I visited.
Harvesting on the Côte d’Or and the Côte Chalonnaise took place between 2 and 11 September. For the reds, production is about 15% below a normal harvest. For reds, the premiers and grands crus were made with about 25% whole clusters. In the recent past, new oak has been about 2/3 for the grands crus and 1/3 to 2/3 for the premiers crus; for 2015, those numbers are about 50-65% for the grands crus and 35-50% for the premiers crus.
2015 Volnay 1er Frémiets
The Frémiets features a pure, strong nose of blueberries. The mouth is intense and dense with the Frémiets hard structure and lightness. The blueberry flavors are intense and long and the wine is balanced and shows overall finesse. (91-94)
2015 Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens
The Rugiens has the dense, smoky nose typical of the vineyard. The mouth is dense and pure with blueberry fruit that is long and intense. The wine is medium-weight and powerful, yet also shows the finesse of the vintage. (93-96)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Porêts Saint-Georges
Switching now to the Côte de Nuits, the wine features an intense, stony nose. The mouth is concentrated and shows Porêts stoniness along with finesse, length, and purity. This is an outstanding expression of Porêts Saint-Georges. (92-95)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Chaignots
Faiveley’s Chaignots is one of the finest examples from that vineyard that I’ve ever sampled. Being from the Vosne slope, it’s no surprise that there’s greater finesse and less tannin in this wine than in the Porêts Saint-Georges. The wine is long, smooth, and concentrated with dark fruits and some spices. (93-96)
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moînes
The Combe aux Moînes has intense dark fruits and minerality with a velvet texture and good length. (93-96)
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos des Issarts
Faiveley’s monopole Clos des Issarts is just across the road from Rousseau’s Ruchottes-Chambertin, Clos des Ruchottes, and unsurprisingly, there is a notable resemblance between the two, beginning with the very stony nose here. The mouth is dense and velvety with stony dark fruits and excellent length. (92-95)
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint-Jacques
The grapes come from the Dupont-Tisserandot estate, which Faiveley took over in 2013. The wine is nervy and intense with blueberry fruit, minerality, and plenty of concentration. The wine is light on the tongue, though, and there’s plenty of Lavaux Saint-Jacques energy here. (93-96)
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers
Last of the premiers crus, the Cazetiers is dense, velvety, and smooth, and as one would expect, less nervy than the Lavaux Saint-Jacques. It is a very good expression of the Cazetiers terroir. When it acquired Dupont-Tisserandot, Faiveley already owned 2 ha in Cazetiers to which it added another two from Dupont-Tisserandot. So there should be quite a bit of this outstanding wine available in the market. (93-96)