Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru Aux Chaignots
2018
Founded in 1825, Domaine Faiveley is one of Burgundy's greatest domaines. Originally the company was a classic negotiant business, based in Nuits St. Georges and engaged in the buying and selling of wine but not the production of it. After seven generations of steadily acquiring properties throughout the Cotes de Nuits, the Cotes de Beaune, Cotes Chalonnaise and now Chablis, the Faiveley family have established themselves as the most important vineyard owners in Burgundy, with 125 hectares of...
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Situated on the northern Nuits-Saint-Georges hillside, halfway up the slope, this climat produces wines characterised by their delicate and elegant aromas. The name "Aux Chaignots" suggests the presence of an old oak forest known as a "chasne" in ancient French.
The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand with the proportion of de-stemmed grapes and whole clusters varying depending on the vintage. The wines were punched down daily in order to extract colour, tannins and aromas from the skin of the grapes. After a 19 day vatting period, the alcoholic fermentation was complete. The free-run wine was run off using a gravity system while the marc was pressed slowly and gently to extract an exceptionally pure press wine. The wines were aged for 16 months in French oak barrels (40-50% new oak and 50-60% one-wine barrels) selected for their fine grain and moderate toast. The wines were left to age in cellars at consistent, natural hygrometry and temperatures.
Dark ruby red in colour with red fruit aromas and roasted, smoky notes on the nose. The palate is rich and oily with good structure and a perfect balance between finesse and strength. The silky tannins give this wine a harmonious mouthfeel.
Concentrated and succulent, this is a really sophisticated Nuits-Saint-Georges with seductive, floral and spicy aromas and just a hint of sweet, vegetal aroma (from the stems of the 20 per cent whole bunches in the ferment). Very long, complete finish that suggests this has great aging potential.
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Unusually for a Faiveley red, this was made with 25% whole bunches, partly because of the presence of so many small berries (millerands) and the concentration and sweetness of the grapes. Orange peel, Asian spices and lots of volume: this wine is rich but structured at the same time.
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Almost a Vosne-Romanée” is how Erwan Faiveley describes this plush, textured red from
the northern side of Nuits-St-Georges. Whole bunch spice, the presence of lots of small,
intensely flavoured berries and supporting freshness and acidity are framed by subtle oak.
A wonderfully spicy and solidly complex nose offers up aromas of both red and dark currant aromas that evidence a touch of the sauvage, all of which is trimmed in just enough wood to notice. There is good richness but also good delineation to the delicious and lightly mineral-inflected flavors that possess a mouth coating finish. This well-balanced effort is very Nuits in basic character but with no overt rusticity.
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(this wine, as well as the Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses and Musigny, was vinified with a percentage of whole clusters): Deep red-ruby. Black raspberry, blackberry and menthol on the nose. Sweet and floral but also incisive and energetic, even youthfully imploded, with dark berry flavors complicated by flowers and minerals and buttressed by a very strong impression of acidity. This juicy wine should be a very good ager.
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Red cherries and fresh garden herbs in the nose. Concentrated and compact palate. Still tightly wound, the power and drive at the finish are very impressive. A touch of licorice here, too. Will need some time, but that's not unusual for this appellation.
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The 2017 Nuits Saint-Georges Aux Chaignots 1er Cru has a more cohesive, deeper bouquet than the Les Damodes, a mixture of red and black fruit, crushed stone and chalk. The elegant palate is well balanced with supple tannin, a fine bead of acidity and a touch of orange sorbet enlivening the finish. Excellent.
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(vinified with 20% whole clusters). A much spicier and more floral-suffused nose blends a touch of wood with aromas of red and dark cherry and earth. The refined, pure and energetic middle weight flavors possess good delineation on the youthfully austere and sneaky long finish. This will need to develop better depth to merit the upper end of my projected range but it is already certainly very pretty.
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(vinified with 25 to 30% whole cluster). An overtly spicy and floral nose combines a touch of wood with plum, blueberry and earth nuances. There is fine intensity to the relatively refined medium weight flavors that possess good drive and evident salinity on the austere and somewhat strict finish. This will definitely need at least a few years of age as it’s presently very tightly wound.
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This is the first wine to display much reduction and here it’s enough to dominate the nose. Otherwise there is lovely detail and verve to the medium-bodied flavors that exude a fine minerality on to the moderately rustic and attractively complex finale. This too should be approachable young if desired.
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