- 98 points -

What a stunning fragrance this Corton has, with ripe damson, pomegranate and floral notes interacting in a very exciting way with the wild-herb notes. Very concentrated and focused, without any sense of weight, the finish incredibly vibrant and mineral. Really lifts off at the very long finish.

- 98 points -

A truly amazing Corton, thanks to the laser beam of sour-cherry aroma that shoots right through this sleek and vibrant wine. Great concentration, but remains light on its feet. The mineral finish extends and extends as you struggle to take it all in. Still very young with enormous aging potential.

- 97 points -

11

The grapes are vinified partly as whole clusters and punched down each day before ageing for 18 months in cask (half new). Despite the fairly aggressive vinification, the wine has an enchantingly lovely, forward fruit character and a delightful, silky approachability. From my experience, this will continue to improve for decades. The Clos des Cortons Faiveley has been a monopole of the house since 1874. They have 2.77ha planted to Pinot Noir here, north of Renardes in this distinctly separate climat of the lieu-dit Le Rognet.

- 96 points -

Untouched by the frost in 2016, this comes from an east-facing, 2.77-hectare parcel above Ladoix is part of Corton Rognet. It’s a little closed at the moment, as it’s entitled to be, with firm tannins and plenty of grip. But the underlying wine is focused and refreshing with notes of dark fruit and liquorice.

- 96 points -

The super fresh, sour-cherry nose leads you into a very concentrated and focused red with a lot of mineral and graphite character. The tannins are a shade firmer than in the other Grand Crus from Faiveley, but it was always that way. Deep, dark and cool finish that goes on and on.

- 96 points -

The serious depth is held in reserve for now, offering black cherry, black currant, incense, earth and mineral flavors. This supple red is balanced by fleshy fruit up front, with the buried structure emerging on the finish. Reveals a terrific aftertaste of graphite, licorice and mineral.

- 95 points -

This Corton Grand Cru has the imposing structure that we associate with this appellation, but also the aromatic shyness and fresh mineral acidity that not everybody will be pleased by at this early stage of the wine’s long life. For us this is a compelling expression of this great site with excellent mid-palate richness and a very polished finish in spite of a touch of wildness. Try to be patient.

- 95 points -

This red starts out generous, with a supple texture buffering vivid acidity and firm tannins, allowing the cherry, strawberry, blood orange and spice flavors to star. Shuts down on the finish, delivering more structure than fruit. Licorice and sandalwood accents come into play. 

- 95 points -

This east-facing 2.77-hectare parcel above Ladoix is part of Corton Rognet. It’s a chalky, elegant, refined red with none of the scratchy tannins that the Grand Cru can display, succulent red fruits and a backbone of chiselled acidity. 2018-28

- 95 points -

East-facing vineyards in Corton, such as this one, can produce slightly plumper wines,
but this is elegant, fine and understated with subtle, lily-like aromas and medium weight tannins. It’s light, but very stylish.

- 95 points -

Typically of Corton, this is quite tannic in current, youthful state. It’s also quit marked by new oak. But this monopole vineyard wine has a lot of potential, with fresh acidity, firm, focused fruit flavours, good length and a note of dried herbs. Very true to its terroir, and comparatively reasonably priced, too.

- 95 points -

Based on the Ladoix side of the Grand Cru, this is a Faiveley monopoly on an east-facing site. It’s always quite a backward, even chewy wine when it’s young, showing the tannins that are typical of Corton, but it develops and softens with time. Taut and firm, but the underlying fruit is crunchy and refreshing with some rasberry coulis sweetness.

- 94 points -

Medium red. Ineffable nose and palate offer red fruits, minerals, spices and flowers, complicated by game, earth and leather. Sweet, concentrated and very intense, boasting outstanding density and a fine-grained texture, with salty minerality giving the wine a weightless impression that's remarkable considering its density. A strong tannic spine and brisk acidity energize and draw out the finish of this sharply delineated, pristine grand cru.

- 94 points -

A complete and serious wine for the vintage with wonderful density of fruit and ultra-fine tannins. Full-bodied, muscular and very long.

- 94 points -

This is pure, featuring cherry, berry, floral and spice aromas and flavors married to a vivid structure. Firms up nicely as the fruit and supporting matrix build to a long finish. 

- 93 points -

From the 2.77ha Clos des Cortons Faiveley in the lieu-dit of Corton et Rognet in Ladoix, the wine is silky and subtle, almost un-Corton-like in its subtlety. This has marvellous elegance and a sharp, delineated cherry and earth fruit character. Structured, tannic, yet supple and approachable, this will drink young but age for decades.

- 93 points -

A pretty red, this features wild strawberry and cherry fruit along with accents of spice and licorice, showing terrific harmony and length. Seductive now, but the gentle tannins suggest this could benefit from at least another few years of age. 

- 93 points -

Bright, deep red. Deep aromas of black cherry, crushed rock and graphite. Dense, sappy and energetic, offering outstanding depth to its soil-driven black cherry and saline flavors. Delivers an uncanny combination of chewy texture and verve. Finishes with palate-staining length and lift, as tactile as a solid. A great vin de terroir for the cellar.

(93-95) Points

A fresh, cool and moderately restrained nose speaks of various red and dark berries along with plenty of iron-inflected earth, animale and pretty floral nuances. The lush, even opulent flavors certainly don’t lack for size, weight and power as they coat the palate while buffering the notably firm tannic spine on the muscular, driving and wonderfully persistent finish. This too is impressively concentrated and built-to-age.

(95-97) POINTS

(entirely destemmed, as these thick-skinned grapes were extremely high in tannins and total polyphenols): Saturated dark red-ruby. Distinctly dark aromas of black cherry, licorice and violet convey an impression of medicinal reserve. Powerful black cherry, crunchy raspberry and licorice flavors boast remarkable intensity and energy but come across as less austere at this stage than normal. A huge wine with the structure for a 25-year evolution in bottle but there's something almost feminine about its fine-grained texture. The major tannins are totally supported by fruit on the classic, penetrating, extremely long aftertaste. A great wine in the making. (Erwan Faiveley noted that this was the most impressive must he's ever tasted.) The IPT (indice polyphenols totaux) here is a whopping 90, compared to a normal 50, according to Jerome Flous, who added that the record for this cuvée was 103 in 2005.

(93-95) points

A pungent nose of wood toast and reduction dominate the nose. More interesting are the fresh and vibrant broad-shouldered flavors that possess both excellent volume and delineation while delivering impressively length on the powerful, youthfully austere, firm and very serious finale where a hint of warmth gradually makes itself known. This is excellent and like all good examples of Corton, very much built-to-age.

94 - 97 Points

Deep red with ruby tones. Sappy, perfumed nose offers cherry, white pepper, crushed stone, mint and menthol. Wonderfully velvety in the mouth, but with superb energy and definition to the pungent mineral and fresh raspberry flavors. Boasts a three-dimensional texture and great sweetness. Peppery acidity and uncanny soil complexity stain the palate on the finish, which features outstanding finesse of tannins. A worthy successor to the great 2009.

94-96 Points

A brooding, deep and introverted nose grudgingly gives up notes of cassis, earth, wood and a hint of animale. The intense, brawny and imposingly structured flavors possess superb volume and almost breathtaking power on the explosive and mouth coating finish that is of monumental proportions. This is a classic Corton yet consistent with the style of the 2010 vintage, this is not unduly rustic, indeed the tannins, while firm, are actually relatively refined. A knock out by any standard but at the same time, a wine for the genuinely patient.

(93-95) Points

The quality of this wine has skyrocketed over the past few vintages; while it was
always very good, it has now become one of the most consistent performers in the Faiveley portfolio. There is quite a bit of wood influence at present and it fights a bit with the spicy dark berry fruit aromas that exhibit plenty of earth and game
character. The impressively scaled and concentrated broad-shouldered flavors possess an opulent yet entirely serious mouth feel before culminating in a balanced, explosively and tremendously persistent finish. This is a bit woody today yet the
underlying material is such that it seems all but evident that it will successfully integrate the oak in time.

93+ Points

Bright, dark red, the darkest of a flight of Corton grand crus. Brooding aromas of black cherry, licorice, black pepper and minerals. Suave and fine-grained but very backward; blacker in its fruit character than most Cortons in 2014, with an impression of peppery acidity energizing the middle palate. Finishes very savory, dry, firm and long, with a repeating licorice note and a strong sense of bound-up energy. This dense, youthfully taut, powerfully structured wine is going to require a lot of patience and may ultimately merit an even higher score.

92+ Points

Full medium red. A note of reduction dissipated to show complex, inviting aromas of redcurrant, raspberry, dried flowers, spices and caraway seed. Dense, dry and gripping, with strong saline minerality giving it a distinctly serious mien. This youthfully uncompromising wine took on more body with aeration and finishes firmly tannic and very long. Very 2013 in its impression of salinity and extract.

93-95 Points

A generous dollop of moderately toasty oak mixes with the highly layered nose of black cherry, cassis, warm earth and an impressive array of sauvage and underbrush notes. There is excellent richness to the overtly powerful and muscular flavors that possess an imposing sense of scale that continues onto the textured and mouth coating finish. Like several of the wines in the range in 2013 this is a big but not really massive wine that retains a sense of proportion even though the underlying structure is quite firm. This will need plenty of patience however.

(94-96) Points

This too is extremely ripe yet manages to avoid any sense of surmaturité on the
once again liqueur-like aromas of black cherry, cassis, anise and lilac scents. This is a massive wine, with simply huge midpalate concentration, power and muscle that terminates just like the Rodin in a borderline painfully intense finale that both
coats the palate and lasts for minutes. I take considerable pains to point out however that this ultra-structured and overtly austere effort is not only built for the long haul but for the very long haul. I have suggested an initial drinking window of 25 years from now but it may very well be 30 to 40. In sum, this is very old school Corton.

(95-97) Points

This vineyard was purchased in 1872, and Faiveley are the only living family whose name is part of a Grand Cru appellation. ‘This is the most consistent vineyard we have,’ says Erwan. Its 2.7 hecatres always deliver good yields, too. One-year old Taransaud barrel. Refined, floral raspberry fruit nose. Very fine, pure, fruity and expressive with good acidity and great acidity. Perfumed and pretty but also with seriousness.

(90-93) points

A perfumed, cool and restrained nose grudgingly offers up its combination of red cherry, raspberry, soft earth and a background touch of oak. There is excellent energy if only average density to the beautifully textured, precise and lightly stony flavors that flash a hint of youthful austerity on the sneaky long and moderately firm finale. This should repay a decade or so of keeping.

(92-94) points

The 2021 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru has a pointed nose, a little angular after the splendid Musigny, hints of clove and white pepper filtering through the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, quite sapid with good backbone, solid and a little muscular on the finish

(93-95)

Here too there is a mentholated top note to the much earthier aromas of poached
plum, underbrush, red currant and touches of the sauvage. There is excellent verve to the equally broad-shouldered and muscular flavors that possess outstanding complexity on the tannic, serious and beautifully long finish that is a bit less austere than it usually is at this early juncture.

(95-98) POINTS

Bright ruby. Fruit-driven aromas of crushed black cherry and dark raspberry convey outstanding pungent lift. Incredibly concentrated, sappy and primary, conveying outstanding juicy purity and compelling thickness to its dark fruit and violet flavors. At once hugely powerful and utterly seamless, this wine finishes with great spicy length and lift. A real essence of Burgundy--and likely to evolve gracefully for 25 years or more.

(91-93) POINTS

The 2017 Corton Clos des Corton Faiveley Grand Cru comes from a monopole of around 3 hectares. It has quite a powerful bouquet of assertive red currant and cranberry fruit, fig jam and a hint of dates. The medium-bodied palate displays supple tannin and a fine bead of acidity. Quite stocky in style, with a saline, quite persistent finish that lingers in the mouth. Excellent.

(92-94) POINTS

An intensely earthy nose is comprised by notably ripe dark currant aromas that are cut with underbrush, spice and a whiff of wood toast and the sauvage. There is an attractive freshness and plenty of vivacity to the velvet-textured full-bodied and overtly muscular flavors that possess terrific punch on the beautifully long, youthfully austere and notably firm finish. I like the overall sense of complexity and this too should age effortlessly.