2019 Echézeaux Grand Cru

It has been two or three years since I last visited Faiveley, whose considerable diaspora of vineyards covers the length and breadth of Burgundy. Once I had worked out how to approach their impressive new winery in Nuits Saint-Georges through the maze of road works, I met Erwan Faiveley and winemaker Jérôme Flous. “The spring saw two cold weeks of weather, just above the temperature for frost and this stopped the vines growing during May," Flous explained. “Then between June and August it was very dry and hot with two heatwaves at the end of June and end of July. There was not much water...but just enough if you compare to 2020. We picked on 9 September and the Grand Crus in the middle of the month, the same as in 2009. We cropped the reds at just 30hl/ha. The skins were not too thick, so the wines are not too tannic. There was less stuck fermentation than in 2018 when we had to re-inoculate some of the vats. I decided to add more oxygen during fermentation, so did more remontage and thanks to this I think the yeast became more competitive. We learned that from some of the mistakes in 2018. Therefore, I find that the reds are concentrated and elegant compared to 2015 and 2016. Finally, it is becoming quite a classic vintage. Whilst 2018 is more rich and concentrated, 2019 is more delicate and Burgundy in style. You might compare 2019 to the 2010 vintage.”

Tasting Faiveley’s entire range would take about as long as inventing a vaccine to cure a global pandemic given the numerous négociant cuvées, so I focused on a selection from Domaine Faiveley. Certainly I find the wines continuing a trend to more finesse and approachability. Gone are the days when the wines were notoriously tannic and austere, sometimes never fully resolving to the frustration of those that had cellared them long-term. Faiveley oversaw a wonderful Les Saint-Georges, as you would hope, given they are one of the most prominent campaigners for promotion (although things have gone quiet on that front recently.) It must be a mighty challenge in terms of the logistics picking this vast array of vineyards at the optimal time in growing seasons where timing is becoming a vital determinant of quality and sometimes I feel that one or two cuvées maybe just missed that. Stylistically, they retain a sense of solidity, Pinot with a backbone. My pick of the reds were a superb Corton Clos des Corton Faiveley and a wonderful Chambertin Clos de Bèze. Actually, the most eye-catching cuvée turned out to be a splendid Bâtard-Montrachet that is frankly leaps and bounds above the Bienvenue Bâtard-Montrachet and an underwhelming Corton-Charlemagne. At the entry-level, I have always enjoyed their wines from the Côte Chalonnaise, where they own large chunks of vineyards in Mercurey.