A love of wine has been passed on from one Faiveley generation to the next for more than 180 years. The Domaine has always remained in the same family and today Erwan and Eve, the 7th generation of the Faiveley family, are at the helm and are keen to respect the traditions and savoir-faire of the family while looking to the future.
Domaine Faiveley believes that the quality of the wines comes from the fruit. To make sure they are able to get the best fruit and resulting wines, the team has invested in separate winemaking and viticulture teams in the Côte d’Or and Côte Chalonnaise, fine-tuned their barrel selection, and built a state-of-the-art winery in Mercurey. Last year, the family completed the renovation of their cellars in the heart of Nuits-St-Georges.
The result is classic Burgundies with wonderful longevity, aromatics and an unique, elegant style. Recognised as one of the finest producers in Burgundy, the Domaine continues to go from strength to strength under Erwan and Eve.
The village of Rully has been inhabited since Ancient times and its wines have long enjoyed a reputation for excellence. In 1629, King Louis XIII received a gift of 22 barrels of wine from Rully when travelling through Chalon-sur-Saône. The white wine from Rully is now one of the Côte Chalonnaise’s most iconic wines.
Exposition: East
Soil: Clay-limestone
Grape Variety: Chardonnay
Surface area: 5 ha 27 a 60 ca (13,04 Acres)
Years the vines were planted: 1987, 1990, 2009, 2010, 2013
The grapes are harvested and sorted by hand. The musts are extracted using a pneumatic press before being settled. The alcoholic fermentation lasts 4 weeks and takes place for a proportion of the musts (50%) in French oak barrels, 10% of which are new oak. The ageing period lasts 8-10 months with regular stirring whilst the rest of the blend is aged in vats. This allows the wine to develop delicate woody notes whilst conserving its freshness and distinctive character.
Winter was relatively mild with average levels of rainfall. There were some frosts between 10-12th April, but the vines did not suffer too badly with only Bourgogne Chardonnay and Givry parcels affected. Bud burst occurred in mid-April, followed by flowering on the 18 May in the Côte Chalonnaise and 23rd May in the Côte d’Or. The vines developed quickly during the spring, thanks to the warmth and rain. The month of May was a record breaker in terms of heat (as high as 30°C) and was also very dry, and by the beginning of June the vines had made up for the lost time caused by the spring frosts. June storms helped the vines during the dry summer months, enabling them to withstand the intense summer heat thanks to the water reserves in the soils.
This year the harvests took place in the glorious sunshine and the fruit displayed exceptional ripeness with sugar levels in line with the average. Harvest began on 27th August in the Côte Chalonnaise with Rully ‘Les Villeranges’ and Mercurey red. Picking in the Côte de Beaune began on 29th August with Corton-Charlemagne, Corton ‘Clos des Cortons Faiveley’, Puligny 1ers Crus and Volnay ‘Frémiets’. In the Côte de Nuits the first of the grapes were picked on the 1st September and all the Grand Crus were harvested in 8 days. The harvests drew to a close on the 10th September between Gevrey-Chambertin and Marsannay. It was a high-quality harvest this year and the grapes were intensely fragrant and in perfect health.
This was the first growing season that followed fully organic principles and officially requested to start the conversion to certified organic.
Harvest in numbers: 15 days of cutting, 250 pickers, average yields : 50hL/ha (white), 40hL/ha (red), 300 parcels harvested, 2300 barrels filled (inc. 500 new barrels)
A brilliant pale greenish-yellow colour. The very nice expressive nose has white flower scents. The attack is bold and generous. This wine, which is balanced on the palate, has good volume and quite exceptional long-lasting scents and tastes for a Bourgogne blanc.
Baked salmon parcels, whote fish en papillotes, vegetable terrine
Serve at 10°C. Cellaring Potential: 2 to 5 years
Côte Chalonnaise
100% Chardonnay
Cork
12.5
Yes
No
