Clos de Vougeot Grand cru
2017
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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In the Middle Ages, the monks of Cîteaux undertook works on this Clos which is surrounded by small drystone walls. It took them over 2 centuries to build the Clos as we know it today. The demarcation of the Clos was defined in the 14th century and the boundary wall was built in the 15th century. 82 owners currently share the 50 hectares of this iconic Burgundian clos. We own 3 parcels here, an indication of the sheer complexity of Bourgogne. 2 parcels are situated in the lower part of the clos and the 3rd in the centre of the clos near to the château.
The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand. The proportion of de-stemmed grapes and whole clusters varies depending on the vintage. The wines are 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 is complete. The free-run wine is run off using a gravity system whilst the marc is pressed slowly and gently in order to extract an exceptionally pure press wine. The wines are aged for 16-18 months in French oak barrels (60% new oak and 40% one-wine barrels) which have been selected for their fine grain and moderate toast. The wines are left to age in our cellars at consistent, natural hygrometry and temperature.
Deep ruby red with complex fruity and floral notes (rose, violet) and a subtle hint of oak on the nose. The attack is smooth with powerful tannins. This well-structured and very persistent wine is an honour to the reputation of this exceptional Grand Cru.
Like many of the best wines from this sprawling Grand Cru, Faiveley’s Clos de Vougeot combines grapes drawn from both the upper and lower parts of the vineyard. The result combines spiciness and zip with good texture and succulence. Blackberry, plum and sweet red fruits are supported by attractive oak and minerality. One of the best Pinots from the Clos. 2016-28
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Made with fruit from three parcels within the Clos, two of them in the wetter soils near the route nationale, this gives the lie to the line that the best wines only come from the upper slopes. This is aromatic and fine, with the weight and focus you expect from a top Clos de Vougeot, good freshness and red fruits’ succulence.
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Such a lovely cassis and framboise nose that you'd need to have a problem with red or dry wine not to fall in love with this. Not one of the biggest 2020s in Burgundy, but the balance and texture of this are so beautiful. Such delicate sweetness and spice. Very long, structured yet silky finish.
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Black cherries and plums with an intense, earthy note. Great depth and structure, the power married to cool freshness that gives this great vitality. Enormously long and complex finish.
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The aromas are of very subtle gun metal, dark berries and flowers. Full-bodied, dense and silky with a minerally undertone and hints of salt. Long and beautiful. Crunch acidity. Drink in 2021. Clos de Vougeot from Faiveley excells in hot and dry years like this.
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The Faiveleys’ three parcels of Clos de Vougeot - one in the middle and two in the lower part of the Grand Cru - were untouched by the frost in 2016. The result is an impressive, plushly fruited Pinot Noir that combines floral scents with fruit weight, grippy tannins and a savoury finish.
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A sleek red, with well-defined cherry, floral, spice and earth notes aligned to a firm structure. This is reserved for now, with an expanding finish that emphasizes the oak spice and dark fruit elements.
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A high-toned mix of floral, wild cherry, currant and mint flavors marks this tightly wound style. This is supported by fine-grained oak and similarly refined tannins, yet has the intensity to match, ending in a long, cascading aftertaste of fruit, spice and chalk.
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Faiveley owns 1.27ha in the Clos de Vougeot, spread over three parcels; two are at the bottom of the Clos, while the third lies in the section known as Grand Maupertuis. The grapes are given a classic fermentation, with a percentage of whole clusters and daily punching down, to produce a wine that has a seductively supple raspberry and violet-scented fruit. The texture is approachable, lovely and fresh...
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(blended from 3 separate lieux-dits, two near the bottom and one near the top). Relatively generous wood fights somewhat with the distinctly earthy, ripe and fresh nose that blends both red and dark pinot fruit. I very much like the texture of the solidly concentrated and sappy larger-bodied flavors that exhibit good power on the balanced, youthfully austere and compact finale. While qualitatively similar to the Ech, the two wines offer very different expressions.
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Good medium red. Reticent aroma of black cherry and menthol. Juicy, herbal and on the dry side; quite backward and savory. Most impressive today on the back end, which shows suave, broad tannins and lovely subtle lingering fruit. Long on potential but youthfully clenched at present. Faiveley owns one parcel at the top of the Clos and two at the bottom. Fruit from the less-good of the two bottom pieces was previously sold off but these vines now produce a lower crop level and more concentrated fruit as Faiveley went to cordon royat pruning here several years ago.
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Good deep red. Wild black cherry, licorice, crushed herbs, earth and a smoky nuance on the nose. Sweet on entry, then cool and medicinal in the mid-palate, with black cherry and licorice flavors dominating. Faiveley will bottle this very backward wine considerably later than the Echézeaux, probably in June, notes Hervet. Finishes quite tight, with a serious tannic spine calling for extended cellaring.
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Full ruby-red. Deep black cherry aroma conveys a chocolatey ripeness. A very sweet Clos Vougeot in a powerful, deep style, offering rich, fruit-driven flavors of black cherry and black raspberry. Fine-grained tannins dust the teeth. Impressively fat, ripe Clos Vougeot if a bit chunky for grand cru.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). This isn’t quite as spicy as the Ech but it’s just as fresh with a brooding and highly complex nose of pungently earthy dark berry fruit and lightly floral-inflected scents. While this is concentrated and serious the supporting tannins shaping the moderately big-bodied flavors are relatively fine-grained. There
is a real sense of focus and controlled power that allows this to retain a lovely sense of balance and harmony on the beautifully long finish. Note that like several of the wines in the range, this is expressly intended to age and it will need it.
Good bright, deep red. Cherry, rose petal, mocha and game on the nose, plus a hint of metallic minerality. Dense, sappy and youthfully tight; less expansive today than the Echezeaux and more peppery too. Has a serious spine for aging but seems a tad dry in the early going.
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An attractively complex and unusually refined nose speaks of red currant, kirsch, soft earth and a hint of wood spice. There is a refined mouth feel to the larger-scaled flavors thanks to the fine grain of the ripe and well-integrated tannins on the mildly austere and impressively long, indeed even explosive finish. This is terrific and the backend offers the same excellent depth the nose promises. Lovely stuff. 2026+
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Good bright, deep red. Cherry, rose petal, mocha and game on the nose, plus a hint of metallic minerality. Dense, sappy and youthfully tight; less expansive today than the Echezeaux and more peppery too. Has a serious spine for aging but seems a tad dry in the early going.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). Earthy red berry fruit aromas trimmed in a discreet touch of wood spice are laced with earth, forest floor and violet hints. The full-bodied and tautly muscled broad-shouldered flavors possess excellent power and detail on the stunningly long, mildly rustic and youthfully austere finish. This is quite serious and clearly very structured yet it stops short of being overtly old school in style; that said, this will not be an early drinker.
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Faiveley have three plots here, and this comes from two of them. One-year old Taransaud barrel. Very aromatic cherry and raspberry fruit. Generous but with some grippy tannins. Pretty wine, with taut raspberry fruit and some herbs.
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An unusually perfumed nose in the context of what is typical for young Clos Vougeot is comprised by airy red fruit and possesses less earth character than usual. The delicious middleweight flavors are not especially dense but they are both attractively textured and vibrant, all wrapped in a clean, sneaky long and youthfully austere finale. This too will need to develop more depth to merit the upper end of my projected range.
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A distinctly earthy and exceptionally fresh nose speaks of the pure essence of various red berries and a whiff of underbrush. There is both excellent density and richness to the imposingly scaled flavors that culminate in a delineated, sappy and markedly austere yet
refreshing finale.
The 2021 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru comes from plots at the top and bottom of the famous climat, though those located at the bottom tend to accumulate water in a wet vintage. Consequently, the nose is pleasant but light with airy red berry fruit that lack the complexity of the previous vintage. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity, a bit lean on the entry that never quite recovers, just deprived of the substance by the malevolent growing season.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). Like the Clos des Issarts this is earthy, cool and brooding with its aromas of dark berry fruit, cassis and a hint of the sauvage that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. The exceptionally rich and round medium weight plus flavors possess a succulent mouth feel with fine concentration as well as plenty of dry extract that coats the palate on the beautifully long finish that is well-balanced though mildly austere at present.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). Here too the wood treatment isn’t subtle though it doesn’t completely mask the mostly red berry fruit, earth and humus aromas. Once again there is both good volume and mid-palate density to the mouth coating big-bodied flavors that flash a mild touch of rusticity on the impressively long finale. Interestingly, this is a bit less youthfully austere than it usually is and overall, color me impressed.
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Unusually supple and giving for this site, the 2021 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru delivers aromas of plums, sweet berries, vine smoke and spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and perfumed palate framed by succulent acids and melting tannins.
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The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru comes from a parcel that Erwan Faiveley candidly said is less consistent, at the mercy of the weather and dependent on a dry season. It has a charming, quite effervescent bouquet of raspberry and cranberry fruit infused with candied orange peel. A tangible sense of mineralité develops with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied, displaying gentle grip, good structure and maybe a little more detail and tension than the Echézeaux at the moment. Good potential.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). Here too the wood treatment is less than subtle though on the ripe and fresh earth-inflected aromas of wild red and dark berries, violet and a hint of leather. There is better volume to the rich and well-muscled flavors that possess better mid-palate concentration if less refinement, all wrapped in a youthfully austere and impressively persistent if rustic finish. I like the complexity and overall, there is just a bit more here.
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The 2020 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru is excellent, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berry fruit, cassis, orange rind and spices, framed by a deft touch of classy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and muscular, it's rich and concentrated, with lively acids and a long, resonant finish. This is one site that clearly thrived in this warm, dry vintage.
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(blended from 3 separate parcels). There is enough reduction present to suppress the underlying fruit. On the plus side there is a lovely sense of tension to the very fresh, focused and overtly powerful big-bodied flavors that possess both first-class volume and precision, all wrapped in a youthfully austere and explosively long finale. The tannins are relatively fine-grained for the appellation but note well that this is a take-no-prisoners example and as such it would be pointless to open a bottle before its 10th birthday.
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