2015 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru

It was a shorter tasting than usual at Faiveley this year. I was little put out that their Mercurey Framboisière was not shown—an important ambassador in a region accused of unaffordable prices when in reality there are plenty of well-priced wines like this. Fact is, more will enjoy that Mercurey than the Grand Crus. Likewise, I was mystified why the Nuits Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges was M.I.A., a cuvée that is synonymous with Faiveley and one touted for promotion. The tasting focused on a selection of Domaine Premier and Grand Crus broadly in line with previous years, but for the record, I hope that Faiveley recognizes the importance of entry-level wines and why I always request tasting entire portfolios, from bottom to the top.

Now that I have got that off my chest, it was a pleasure to taste with head winemaker Jerome Floos, overseeing his 17th vintage chez Faiveley.

“It was a rollercoaster growing season, sometimes cold and other times warm and dry. In July, it could be like winter, and then in August there was a heatwave before and during the harvest. In Côte Chalonnaise, we gained three degrees of potential alcohol in four days for the whites. Two weeks before the harvest, we were thinking we would have to chaptalize. I ordered 10 tons of sugar for Faiveley 15 days before the harvest, but I only used one-third. In the end, we only had to chaptalize a small amount.”

Floss went on, “The harvest started in Mercurey on September 7 and finished in Marsannay on September 21. During the day, it was over 30°C and we could not pick in the afternoon, so it was difficult for the pickers. Fortunately, we have a large cooling room that was very important. Plus, we had a large team of pickers, around 240 for the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte d’Or. The alcohol is 13.5% on average for the reds, 13.2% for the whites. The Premier Crus are raised in 50% new barrel and 50% two-year-old, and Grand Crus are done in 50% new barrel and 50% one-year-old. The volumes are very good: around 45 hl/ha to 50 hl/ha for the reds and between 50 hl/ha and 60 hl/ha for the whites, which can be compared to 2009 or 2018.”

“There was a tiny bit of frost in April, very localized in Givry, a couple of plots on Puligny,” head winemaker Jérôme Flous tells me in their tasting room on the fringe of Nuits Saint-Georges. Faiveley owns several buildings in the locality that sit over their capacious barrel cellars housing their numerous cuvées. “The most important factor was in the middle of June. It changed the vintage. We had a lot of rain, but the amount was not the same across the region. In Côte Chalonnaise, it was around average, more in Côte de Beaune and then the most in the Côte de Nuits. In some places, there was three or four times as much as usual. Usually, it is 60mm, but in Nuits Saint-Georges, there was 250mm that was absorbed by the clay soils. We were lucky because there was no rain after that, and therefore, there was more stress in the south of the Côte d’Or and in the Côte Chalonnaise, where the fruit is blacker. We had some hail in Gevrey-Chambertin, but there was not a large amount of damage since there was a lot of water. Summer was like 2020, warm and dry. We started the harvest on August 29 in Puligny and Corton, and we finished September 10. It was a normal fermentation after just a little sorting by hand. Vinification was quite fast, between 12 and 15 days. The pH is over 3.6 for all the cuvées, so I prefer to age the wines with good levels of sulfur to protect them against brettanomyces or spoilage. Most of the wines will be bottled in March.” I felt that Flous imbued his 2022s with more refinement compared to prior vintage, exemplified by his Mazis-Chambertin that surpasses the Clos-de-Bèze, albeit by a whisker, and Flous is convinced that it is the long-term runner. Some feel they don’t quite reach their full potential, such as the Chambolle Charmes, which felt a bit under-nourished, though others, like the Nuits Saint-Georges La Damode, display great potential.

Erwan Faiveley is on hand to guide me through a selection of mainly Domaine wines on another foggy November morning. Even a major player like Faiveley could not escape the hardships of the growing season. “For the Côte de Beaune whites, we used a lot of candles when the frost came,” he explains. “Bienvenues and Bâtard-Montrachet were nicely protected, whereas Puligny Champs Gain and Corton-Charlemagne were almost completely destroyed. We produced just three cases from [Puligny] La Garenne. Technically, we started the harvest on Monday, 20 September. But there was heavy rain, so we sent the harvesters home at 7am and began the following day. It was strange - the weather conditions were poor at first, but there was bright sunshine at the end. Without that 30mm on 20 September, I think the vintage would have been a little more concentrated in the vineyard, such as Clos Vougeot. The reds are de-stemmed, although we used some stems in Chambolle Musigny, Echézeaux and some vats of our Mercurey Framboisière. I am glad I did not push the vendange entire [whole bunch] - it’s not that kind of vintage. There was a thin line between lifting and spoiling the wine through stem addition, and it was more challenging to add them in the Cote de Beaune.”

This is a commendable set of wines that do not disguise the ups and downs of the challenging growing season. Certainly, the Musigny is majestic, transcending the vintage to a point where I remarked to Faiveley that it seems to operate on a different level to its fellow Grand Crus. This might be attributed to being fermented in a smaller vessel, unlike others in larger vats. Apropos the whites, I am smitten by the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet that outshines the Bâtard and frost-depleted Corton-Charlemagne.

“There are three important things with regard to the 2020 vintage,” winemaker Jérôme Flous told me after we met and I completely failed to recognize him (he just seemed younger than I remembered). “The first is the date of picking. For Faiveley, it is the earliest date ever, starting on August 19, which is earlier than 2003. It was very dry during the season, with less than half the usual rain. Between July 15 and August 15, there was only 5mm. The other important factor is the gap between red and white in terms of volume. The Chardonnay produced 80% more than the Pinot Noir, 45hl/ha compared to 25hl/ha, with the same growing season and same flowering. How? Well, on May 18, we had flowering in very good conditions, which corresponds to the Chardonnay, but on May 23, it was wet, rainy and windy. It was like winter, and this disturbed the flowering for the Pinot Noir. If you then factor in the dryness, that explains the difference.” Pushed to expand upon his view of the growing season, Flous told me: “I like the 2020 because each terroir is expressed. It has the rusticity of 2014 with the richness of 2019, though it is not as big as that vintage. The alcohol levels are around 13.2° and 13.5°, less than 2019 with more acidity. We didn’t have to do any acidification or chaptalization.” I thought this was a very respectable set of wines from Faiveley that may show a little more elegance than the 2019s.

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.

Good things come to those who wait. And I waited a long time to visit Faiveley, where Erwan Faiveley received me at the winery in Nuits Saint-Georges. The timing could not have been better, since I had time to tour the new “38” vat room that Erwan suggests looks a bit like a railway station. Personally, I thought it was more a cross between St. Pancras and Canterbury Cathedral, but hey, that’s not a bad combination. Of course, Faiveley remains faithful to wooden vats, each tailored to the different size of their holdings. I asked if they estimated for two consecutive abundant vintages like 2017 and 2018, but Erwan assure me that they have capacity left over even after the vines’ generosity. After a quick tour of the huge barrel cellars housing both domaine and négociant wines, we repaired to the upper floor tasting room, where my tasting focused almost exclusively on their domaine -bottlings.

Jérôme Flous, who has headed up the winemaking team since 2007, joined us at the beginning of the tasting. He has changed the winemaking style, introducing more elegance and finesse to the previously austere, dense and occasionally unyielding wines. “I want to be reactive to Nature,” he told me, “and I want to adapt with the vintage. I don’t have any recipe. In the vineyard, our approach is lutte raisonée and organic, so, for example, we were organic in 2015 but not the two subsequent years. Our objective is to gain EVH certification next year, which means we do not use herbicides and insecticides, but we will protect against mildew. We have two hectares in Nuits Saint-Georges and in Les Damodes that are completely organic.” I enquired about the 2017 growing season. “There was a bit more rain in spring than usual, but the summer was drier than usual. Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos Vougeot and Chambolle-Musigny were the driest in 2017 but they performed very well. The 25mm of rain on August 30 and 31 was needed. We started picking the Chardonnay on September 1 and finished on September 5, commencing in the Côte de Nuits on September 6 and finishing on September 16. Then we picked quickly, because we were concerned that the acidity might fall too much. We used some whole bunches in 2017, except for Gevrey-Chambertin. Sometimes there is a problem with reduction because of the amount of SO2 used, so I want to be adaptable and use everything.”

I asked Erwan Faiveley for his opinion on the wines. Is it a bona fide great vintage? “The 2017 is a classic vintage,” he replied. “The wines are well balanced. I think it will be considered very good, maybe a little modern in style, like 2007 or 2011, but the wines are deeper and fresher than those. It’s a good vintage to drink. It is too heterogeneous to be classed as a great vintage. The Côte de Nuits is much stronger than the Côte de Beaune because the 2016 frost meant that some vineyards overproduced.”

I confess that though I have been drinking Faiveley’s wines for two decades, this was my first visit to the winery and so I am denied the broad context of other growers. That said, I was impressed by many of the domaine bottlings. I might be controversial in stating that I had a slight preference for the regular bottling of the Chambertin Clos de Bèze over the elusive Les Ouvrées Rodin, the former being just a little more elegant and poised. I adore the backbone and precision of the Latricières-Chambertin, and both the Echézeaux and the Clos de Vougeot are some of the best that I encountered during my visits. Of course, there is plenty to be found at the lower rungs of the hierarchy, especially their white and red Mercurey, which had just been bottled; it is perfect for drinking over the next three or four years.

Technical director Jérôme Flous marveled over the shape and unique characteristics of the 2016 growing season and wines. “According to the calendar, it’s a late vintage, like 2013 and 2008, but it was also a very ripe year,” he said. “Acidity levels are not far from the 2014s, but we also had the high sugars and phenolic ripeness of a hot vintage.” The very warm, dry summer included just enough precipitation to keep the maturity process going, said Flous, and Faiveley began harvesting Pinot Noir on the Côte de Beaune on September 24, with high grape sugars but minuscule quantities due to the frost (a number of these wines were made in tiny fermenters, like the one they routinely use for their Musigny). The team then picked most of their grand cru vineyards during the last three days of September and finished up on October 4 with village wines. Alcohol levels in some of the ‘16s approach 14%, and a number of ‘16s are higher in octane than their 2015 counterparts.

“Gevrey-Chambertin was the lucky village of the vintage,” said Flous, as there was almost no frost damage here, and Faiveley’s vines on the hill of Corton also were mostly spared. “In general, vines with no grass between the rows were less frosted,” noted Flous, as these vineyards retained less moisture from rain and humidity the night before the frost.

Technical director Jérôme Flous marveled over the shape and unique characteristics of the 2016 growing season and wines. “According to the calendar, it’s a late vintage, like 2013 and 2008, but it was also a very ripe year,” he said. “Acidity levels are not far from the 2014s, but we also had the high sugars and phenolic ripeness of a hot vintage.” The very warm, dry summer included just enough precipitation to keep the maturity process going, said Flous, and Faiveley began harvesting Pinot Noir on the Côte de Beaune on September 24, with high grape sugars but minuscule quantities due to the frost (a number of these wines were made in tiny fermenters, like the one they routinely use for their Musigny). The team then picked most of their grand cru vineyards during the last three days of September and finished up on October 4 with village wines. Alcohol levels in some of the ‘16s approach 14%, and a number of ‘16s are higher in octane than their 2015 counterparts.

“Gevrey-Chambertin was the lucky village of the vintage,” said Flous, as there was almost no frost damage here, and Faiveley’s vines on the hill of Corton also were mostly spared. “In general, vines with no grass between the rows were less frosted,” noted Flous, as these vineyards retained less moisture from rain and humidity the night before the frost.

Erwan Faiveley, the seventh generation of Faiveleys to run this large domain based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, described 2015 as his best vintage to date (he took over in 2004 at the tender age of 25). “The 2009s were very impressive early on but the 2015s are tighter-grained. I’m more confident about the longevity of the 2015s due to their lower yields.” This sprawling estate took full advantage of the best window for harvesting Pinot Noir in 2015, picking from September 2 through 11. Grape sugars were high due to the low yields, said Faiveley, with most of the wines around 13.5% without chaptalization and a couple around 14%.

Under the direction of technical director Jerome Flous, Faiveley vinified its Côte de Nuits cuvées with a higher-than-normal percentage of whole clusters “for more complexity and to counter any possible overmature aromas,” according to Faiveley. But the Côte de Beaune fruit, in spite of its mostly round tannins, was destemmed. Flous carried out one pigeage per day during the active portion of the fermentations. “The macerations were a bit longer than we expected, so we allowed the sugar fermentations to finish in wood, which is unusual here,” noted Flous, adding that this may give the wines additional elegance and viscosity. Like many producers I visited this fall, Faiveley considers Gevrey-Chambertin to have been most successful in 2015, as this village benefited from somewhat higher precipitation totals during this very dry year, which he believes has given the wines more flesh.

According to technical director Jerome Flous, grape maturity was higher in 2014 than in 2013 but lower than in 2012 He finds strong floral and spice elements in the 2014s as well as a sucrosité that “can sometimes be overwhelming” (he described it as “honey-sweet”) But he also finds that the 2014s have more energy and tension than the two previous vintages, and that the tannins, although not totally ripe, bring a lot of freshness “The wines have length and minerality, and their concentration is high, which holds the wines very nicely,” he noted “The risk is that we’re likely to see the wines shutting down rather soon, and they might stay like that for quite some time That’s often a characteristic of a great vintage”

According to technical director Jerome Flous, grape maturity was higher in 2014 than in 2013 but lower than in 2012. He finds strong floral and spice elements in the 2014s as well as a sucrosité that “can sometimes be overwhelming” (he described it as “honey-sweet”). But he also finds that the 2014s have more energy and tension than the two previous vintages, and that the tannins, although not totally ripe, bring a lot of freshness. “The wines have length and minerality, and their concentration is high, which holds the wines very nicely,” he noted. “The risk is that we’re likely to see the wines shutting down rather soon, and they might stay like that for quite some time. That’s often a characteristic of a great vintage.”

"We view 2014 as a great red wine vintage for those who kept yields down," said Bernard Hervet, who will continue to provide advice to the Faiveley family after ending his full-time involvement with the family's operations at the end of 2015."The thick skins of the grapes protected against rot and the summer rains," he added. Faiveley began harvesting on September 11 with potential alcohol in the 12% to 12. 5% range; most of the wines were lightly chaptalized. Technical director Jerome Flous noted that all of the estate's grand crus were picked right before the rain on the 19th, and that there was some dilution of the grapes after that precipitation. The grand crus and most of the premier crus were still in barrels at the time of my November tasting. Interestingly, noted Flous, analytically the 2014s are very close to the '13s."And they're very easy to drink." Hervet added that "2014 is 2007 plus plus, while 2013 is 2008 plus plus."

Faiveley advisor Bernard Hervet describes 2013 as "a late-picked vintage like 2008 but with more depth, finer tannins and less green character." His only concern had to do with some village-level wines, which he thought may be a bit too high in acidity. He believes that the 2013s will be mid-terms agers, which is to say that he'd wait until 10 years after the vintage to start drinking the premier crus and more like 15 years for the grand crus.

"Gevrey-Chambertin and Marsannay were the winners in 2013," said CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet. "The vines on much of the Côte de Beaune were stressed because of hail, which changed the nature of the fruit. Most of these wines lack the primary aromas of Pinot Noir." But even on the Côte de Nuits, there were significant differences owing to the weather, the most important of which was the rainfall on September 29. "We had 42 millimeters of rain in Nuits-Saint-Georges and only 12 in Gevrey, and that made a big difference," Hervet told me. Virtually all of the 2013s made here were destemmed, and the wines, says Hervet, "are more easily digestible than the the 2012s." Hervet likes the 2013s considerably more than he did prior to the 2014 harvest, noting that "the oak only became integrated in the last month or two." In the beginning he thought 2013 was like 2008, but the skin ripeness is much better in 2013. "There are a lot of phenolic components in the thick skins of 2013, and the wines show great color for a cold vintage. The wines are in the same vein as 1993 and 1988."

Bernard Hervet considers the 2012 wines from the Côte de Nuits to be “classic, with good tannic structure but not aggressive. The fruit is precise, even a bit strict, and the wines will likely shut down in bottle for a little while. But I am very optimistic about their future, especially the crus."

"The 2012 reds are better than my first expectation, especially the wines from the Cote de Nuits," said CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet."Some are better than the 2010s, but others are missing a bit of phenolic ripeness and thus are a little dry on the finish.It's a classic cool year in the Cote de Nuits.In comparison, the 2011s have less grip but more charm."Hervet did one punchdown per day in 2012, an extraction that he described as a bit softer than usual, as he was concerned about getting tough tannins.A few of the Faiveley 2012s were vinified with a percentage of whole clusters but most of the fruit was destemmed.The 2012s finished their malos last March but, except for a few reduced cuvees, had not yet been racked in November.

CEO/adviser Bernard Hervet summarized 2011 by calling it "a very rare vintage that combined the low grape sugars and freshness of a very cold vintage with an unusually early harvest." He went on: "The wines are never boring. It will be a dangerous vintage in that one can too easily drink a bottle of wine." Faiveley harvested pinot from August 31 through September 9. "It's a great vintage that reached ripeness at 12% potential alcohol, with the grand crus at 12.5%," said Hervet. "But some people waited too late to pick and made mistakes, ultimately destroying the balance of their wines." The pHs here were in the healthy 3.3 to 3.45 range, but Hervet noted that he vinified with a lower-than-usual percentage of whole clusters as he was afraid of botrytis, which could be hard to detect.

CEO/adviser Bernard Hervet describes 2010 as a moderately ripe year, but the aromatic complexity, precision and energy of the best 2010s here, in many instances reinforced by some whole-cluster vinification, make a strong argument that coolish growing seasons can make splendid and complete red Burgundies. The malos here were on the early side (the chardonnay malos were generally later), with most of the wines finishing in March and April of 2011, but the wines will nonetheless be bottled a bit later than usual. Of the wines I tasted, only the Mercurey Clos des Myglands was in bottle at the time of my mid-November visit.

"The best 2009s resemble the '59s in their mocha and coffee notes," said super-consultant Bernard Hervet, adding that mocha is a characteristic of wines made from grapes with very ripe seeds. Other vintages with very ripe seeds, he added, include 2003, 1999, 1990, 1985, 1969, 1964 and 1949. But no Faiveley wine is over 13.6% in 2009, including those that received a bit of chaptalization to draw out their fermentations. Faiveley did a touch more extraction in 2009, and more post-fermentation maceration: according to Hervet, "when the wines are so thoroughly ripe, you can exaggerate them a little bit." Some of the malos finished very early while others only ended in June. The pHs of the 2009s are roughly 0.15 higher than those of the 2008s, noted Hervet; for example, the grand crus tend to be around 3.6, compared to 3.43 for the same wines in 2008, "but the 2009s are strong due to their balance." Hervet believes that the best '09s have greater overall balance than the 2005s, although he considers 2005 to be the better vintage at the level of the village wines.

With the 2007 vintage the radical recent improvements put in place at Faiveley should be apparent even to the palate-dead, and the purity and terroir complexity of the 2008s should be even more remarkable. According to CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet, the phenolic ripeness was ahead of the sugar ripeness in 2008, and Faiveley picked on the late side, eliminating 5% to 7% of the grapes on the sorting table. This is a very serious crop of wines here, and yet they are not hard-as they might well have been even five years ago, when the quality of oak used here was not nearly as good. The aromatics of the 2008s knocked me out in November, but the Faiveley 2007s are also standouts, with unusual precision, energy and perfume for their vintage.

This wine was tasted in June 2014 at a private charity dinner and auction held to benefit local charities in Beaune that help the poor. A number of Burgundy’s top growers poured wines from their cellars from magnum as a collection of eye-popping bottles was auctioned off to the attendees. The food was delicious and simple, which allowed the wines to shine even more brightly. Most importantly of all, the auction was a huge success.

With the 2007 vintage the radical recent improvements put in place at Faiveley should be apparent even to the palate-dead, and the purity and terroir complexity of the 2008s should be even more remarkable. According to CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet, the phenolic ripeness was ahead of the sugar ripeness in 2008, and Faiveley picked on the late side, eliminating 5% to 7% of the grapes on the sorting table. This is a very serious crop of wines here, and yet they are not hard-as they might well have been even five years ago, when the quality of oak used here was not nearly as good. The aromatics of the 2008s knocked me out in November, but the Faiveley 2007s are also standouts, with unusual precision, energy and perfume for their vintage.

With an assist from CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet, who formerly led the turnarounds at Bouchard and William Fevre for the Henriot family, Domaine Faiveley has radically upgraded its cooperage and its winemaking regime in just a few short years. The most recent key improvement here was the purchase of a vertical press and the introduction of oak vats for the fermentations. "We're now working in a more old-fashioned way, but with all of the modern technical controls," explained Hervet, who added that the chief objective of recent changes has been to avoid bitterness on the finishes of the wines and thus make them a bit less rustic in their youth without compromising their power, concentration or potential longevity. "Fifty percent of our problems just a few years ago were due to wood that wasn't dried long enough," he went on. "With 2007 we have no more bad cooperage." Hervet noted that 2007 has a different balance from that of 2006. "There are more tannins in the '06s but the skins were riper in 2007," he explained. "We may have been missing some tannins in '07, but the wines have good balance. When we saw the low levels of tannins we decided to put all the wines in new oak, but with a light toast." (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA) Also recommended: Volnay Santenots (86).

With an assist from CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet, who formerly led the turnarounds at Bouchard and William Fevre for the Henriot family, Domaine Faiveley has radically upgraded its cooperage and its winemaking regime in just a few short years. The most recent key improvement here was the purchase of a vertical press and the introduction of oak vats for the fermentations. "We're now working in a more old-fashioned way, but with all of the modern technical controls," explained Hervet, who added that the chief objective of recent changes has been to avoid bitterness on the finishes of the wines and thus make them a bit less rustic in their youth without compromising their power, concentration or potential longevity. "Fifty percent of our problems just a few years ago were due to wood that wasn't dried long enough," he went on. "With 2007 we have no more bad cooperage." Hervet noted that 2007 has a different balance from that of 2006. "There are more tannins in the '06s but the skins were riper in 2007," he explained. "We may have been missing some tannins in '07, but the wines have good balance. When we saw the low levels of tannins we decided to put all the wines in new oak, but with a light toast." (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA) Also recommended: Volnay Santenots (86).

The last appointment of my November tour of Burgundy left me with a very good taste in my mouth, as the new team of Erwan Faiveley and CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet has a highly successful crop of '06s in the works-a set of wines that showcases a new direction for this firm. Among the most important recent developments here has been a radical change in barrel suppliers. "With 2006, there are no more Remond barrels," noted Hervet. "We felt that these barrels had accentuated the natural hardness of the wines here. Now we're avoiding the bitterness in the first phase of the wines," he said, adding that Francois Freres and Taransaud were now the main suppliers of barriques. Added Faiveley: "We have also stopped taking the solids from the vat and pumping them into the press. That gave our wines a bitterness from the seeds." According to Hervet, it wasn't possible to have overmature grapes in 2006, and thus the vintage is perfect for people who don't like to make-or to drink-"exaggerated wines."

The last appointment of my November tour of Burgundy left me with a very good taste in my mouth, as the new team of Erwan Faiveley and CEO/advisor Bernard Hervet has a highly successful crop of '06s in the works-a set of wines that showcases a new direction for this firm. Among the most important recent developments here has been a radical change in barrel suppliers. "With 2006, there are no more Remond barrels," noted Hervet. "We felt that these barrels had accentuated the natural hardness of the wines here. Now we're avoiding the bitterness in the first phase of the wines," he said, adding that Francois Freres and Taransaud were now the main suppliers of barriques. Added Faiveley: "We have also stopped taking the solids from the vat and pumping them into the press. That gave our wines a bitterness from the seeds." According to Hervet, it wasn't possible to have overmature grapes in 2006, and thus the vintage is perfect for people who don't like to make-or to drink-"exaggerated wines."

Also recommended: 2004 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Porets Saint-Georges (86).

According to export director Christophe Voisin, the estate carried out a green harvest in July and then again in August, and was actually a bit too strict in eliminating fruit in 2004. This factor, combined with the large number of vines that were lost as a result of heat and drought in 2003, resulted in production that was down from normal by the equivalent of 300 barrels of wine. Potential alcohol, according to Voisin, was roughly equal to that of the 2002 crop. Faiveley moderated his punchdown regimen in 2004 and believes that the wines today are richer than the 2001s. I found the 2004s from Nuits-Saint-Georges to be rather hard, but the tasting took a turn for the better when I got to the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers. Owing to the very late malos, the 2004s had not yet been racked in November. Incidentally, Faiveley upped the percentage of new oak in 2004 to about 50% for all the crus, and went even higher in 2005. He is trying to make wines that are a bit less austere and tannic. Not surprisingly, Faiveley's style, which privileges acid and tannin structure over early appeal, worked well in 2003, although most of the top wines from this heat-wave vintage will need extended aging.

According to export director Christophe Voisin, the estate carried out a green harvest in July and then again in August, and was actually a bit too strict in eliminating fruit in 2004. This factor, combined with the large number of vines that were lost as a result of heat and drought in 2003, resulted in production that was down from normal by the equivalent of 300 barrels of wine. Potential alcohol, according to Voisin, was roughly equal to that of the 2002 crop. Faiveley moderated his punchdown regimen in 2004 and believes that the wines today are richer than the 2001s. I found the 2004s from Nuits-Saint-Georges to be rather hard, but the tasting took a turn for the better when I got to the Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers. Owing to the very late malos, the 2004s had not yet been racked in November. Incidentally, Faiveley upped the percentage of new oak in 2004 to about 50% for all the crus, and went even higher in 2005. He is trying to make wines that are a bit less austere and tannic. Not surprisingly, Faiveley's style, which privileges acid and tannin structure over early appeal, worked well in 2003, although most of the top wines from this heat-wave vintage will need extended aging.

Francois Faiveley began harvesting on August 20 on the Cote de Beaune, the house's earliest harvest in more than a century, because, he explained, the acidity in the grapes was falling rapidly.Due in part to a high percentage of tiny dried berries on the south side of the vines, the crop level was down more than 50% from the norm.Following a careful elimination of burned grapes that might otherwise have given the wines a pruney taste, Faiveley did less cold maceration than usual for fear of getting overly tannic wines, then macerated for three weeks rather than the typical month.It's tempting to say that some of these wines were picked short of optimal phenolic ripeness, but I sense that these wines have all the elements for long aging, even if some of them show some distinctly tough tannins today.Faiveley admitted that the 2003s will be wines for collectors, not restaurants, and that most of them will need 10 to 15 years in bottle.

Francois Faiveley began harvesting on August 20 on the Cote de Beaune, the house's earliest harvest in more than a century, because, he explained, the acidity in the grapes was falling rapidly.Due in part to a high percentage of tiny dried berries on the south side of the vines, the crop level was down more than 50% from the norm.Following a careful elimination of burned grapes that might otherwise have given the wines a pruney taste, Faiveley did less cold maceration than usual for fear of getting overly tannic wines, then macerated for three weeks rather than the typical month.It's tempting to say that some of these wines were picked short of optimal phenolic ripeness, but I sense that these wines have all the elements for long aging, even if some of them show some distinctly tough tannins today.Faiveley admitted that the 2003s will be wines for collectors, not restaurants, and that most of them will need 10 to 15 years in bottle.

Francois Faiveley is hardly alone in believing that the 2001s will outlast the 2002s. The 2002s will be better to drink in the next five or six years; we had more grape sugars in 2002, but the vintage lacks the acidity to be a long-term year,' he told me. The 2001s have more acidity, more of a spinal column, and will last longer.We had a September miracle in 2001, and great harvest weather that lasted into October.'He summed up the two years this way: '2001 is in the cabernet style, while 2002 is in the merlot style.'(Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena CA

The lesser 2001s here struck me as somewhat dry and minty, lacking pliancy and sweetness, but Faiveley's top cuvees despite being austere today, appear to have the stuffing and structure to develop well in bottle. That said, I also found a few of the estate's 2000s rather dry on the back and only moderately ripe, especially cuvees that do not specifically carry the "unfiltered" sticker on the bottle. Francois Faiveley generally picks for sound acidity, rather than waiting longer for higher sugars.

The lesser 2001s here struck me as somewhat dry and minty, lacking pliancy and sweetness, but Faiveley's top cuvees despite being austere today, appear to have the stuffing and structure to develop well in bottle. That said, I also found a few of the estate's 2000s rather dry on the back and only moderately ripe, especially cuvees that do not specifically carry the "unfiltered" sticker on the bottle. Francois Faiveley generally picks for sound acidity, rather than waiting longer for higher sugars.

Francois Faiveley, who was recovering from surgery on his lower back, described his 2000s as "a vintage good to drink over the next eight to ten years, more pleasant and elegant in its youth than either '99 or '98." The key was to control quantity, he added. Even with severe pruning, it was possible to get an enormous crop that lacked concentration, as the grapes tended to be swelled by rain. Faiveley noted that fruit from his own vines was much better than the fruit he buys, owing to the green harvest the house carried out in July. "The extent of rot and the size of the berries were critical in 2000," noted Faiveley. Faiveley tends to pick early in hopes of retaining acidity. "We need to preserve the spine of the wine," he explained. "We can always add sugar if we need it." Still, in November a few of the 2000s gave the impression of having been picked before optimum ripeness.

This wine was tasted during dinner at Bistro de l’Hôtel, Beaune.

Francois Faiveley, who was recovering from surgery on his lower back, described his 2000s as "a vintage good to drink over the next eight to ten years, more pleasant and elegant in its youth than either '99 or '98." The key was to control quantity, he added. Even with severe pruning, it was possible to get an enormous crop that lacked concentration, as the grapes tended to be swelled by rain. Faiveley noted that fruit from his own vines was much better than the fruit he buys, owing to the green harvest the house carried out in July. "The extent of rot and the size of the berries were critical in 2000," noted Faiveley. Faiveley tends to pick early in hopes of retaining acidity. "We need to preserve the spine of the wine," he explained. "We can always add sugar if we need it." Still, in November a few of the 2000s gave the impression of having been picked before optimum ripeness.

According to export director Christophe Voisin, Francois Faiveley now believes that using saignee to concentrate the must is a mistake, "because the juice you remove using this technique contains some of the grape finest ingredients. We'd much rather cut off excess grapes in July and August," added Voisin, "as we did in '99. Still, yields were full across the board." The '99 harvest brought fruit with a bit less sugar than the previous year, notes Voisin; the wines are charming and fairly large. Acidity levels are good, but a bit lower than those of '98. Vatting time was a couple of days longer in '99 in an attempt to extract more color and tannic support. Indeed, the '99s showed very well in November, and perhaps deceptively forward. "As Guy Faiveley [Francois's father] used to say," noted Voisin, "you can drink them young like fromage blanc or wait until they're Camembert."

According to export director Christophe Voisin, Francois Faiveley now believes that using saignee to concentrate the must is a mistake, "because the juice you remove using this technique contains some of the grape finest ingredients. We'd much rather cut off excess grapes in July and August," added Voisin, "as we did in '99. Still, yields were full across the board." The '99 harvest brought fruit with a bit less sugar than the previous year, notes Voisin; the wines are charming and fairly large. Acidity levels are good, but a bit lower than those of '98. Vatting time was a couple of days longer in '99 in an attempt to extract more color and tannic support. Indeed, the '99s showed very well in November, and perhaps deceptively forward. "As Guy Faiveley [Francois's father] used to say," noted Voisin, "you can drink them young like fromage blanc or wait until they're Camembert."

Nineteen ninety-eight brought fruit with healthy pHs and grape sugars in the 11% to 12% range, according to export director Christophe Voisin. About 7%-8% of the fruit was eliminated at the harvest, said Voisin, with underripe grapes more of a problem than rot. "As a rule, sugars were higher in Nuits-Saint-Georges than in Gevrey-Chambertin, though yields were almost normal in Nuits while couleur held down crop levels in several sites in Gevrey, especially Mazis-Chambertin and Clos de Beze," he added. Cuvaisons lasted 27 to 30 days, a bit longer than usual. Faiveley punched down the caps twice daily during the fermentation to extract color quickly and to get enough middle-palate richness to balance the tannins of the vintage. "In '97, the richness came more quickly," noted Voisin.

This domain, like so many others in Burgundy, opted for an early bottling of the '97s, to capture maximum fruit. They began with the grand crus, most of which were in bottle by the time of my late January visit. Francois Faiveley noted that the domain reds were not acidified in either '97 or '98. On the contrary, he more worried about getting excessive grape sugars than about low acidity. He'd far rather pick a bit early and chaptalize, up to a full 1.5%, so the domain is unlikely to begin with acid deficient fruit. Faiveley describes the '97s here as a bit like '89, but fresher, best suited for drinking on the young side. There are plenty of tannins, says Faiveley, "but they are very ripe riper than those of '96 and almost Bordeaux like." The wines are softer in structure than those of the previous vintage, but better balanced for early consumption. About one third new oak was used for the crus.

This domain, like so many others in Burgundy, opted for an early bottling of the '97s, to capture maximum fruit. They began with the grand crus, most of which were in bottle by the time of my late January visit. Francois Faiveley noted that the domain reds were not acidified in either '97 or '98. On the contrary, he more worried about getting excessive grape sugars than about low acidity. He'd far rather pick a bit early and chaptalize, up to a full 1.5%, so the domain is unlikely to begin with acid deficient fruit. Faiveley describes the '97s here as a bit like '89, but fresher, best suited for drinking on the young side. There are plenty of tannins, says Faiveley, "but they are very ripe riper than those of '96 and almost Bordeaux like." The wines are softer in structure than those of the previous vintage, but better balanced for early consumption. About one third new oak was used for the crus.

The Faiveley '96s were among the most deeply colored I tasted in November. "Getting deep color is not just a matter of extraction during vinification," points out Francois Faiveley. "Triage is of critical importance to the color of the wine: it is essential to remove underripe or rotten grapes, and to remove any possible sources of oxidation." Faiveley describes the 1995 vintage as outstanding but more austere, while 1996 "has always tasted good." The pHs were similar in the two vintages, but grape sugars were generally a bit lower in '96. Incidentally, fans of great white Burgundy should track down a bottle or two of Faiveley '95 Corton-Charlemagne, a worthy successor to the outstanding '89.

The Faiveley '96s were among the most deeply colored I tasted in November. "Getting deep color is not just a matter of extraction during vinification," points out Francois Faiveley. "Triage is of critical importance to the color of the wine: it is essential to remove underripe or rotten grapes, and to remove any possible sources of oxidation." Faiveley describes the 1995 vintage as outstanding but more austere, while 1996 "has always tasted good." The pHs were similar in the two vintages, but grape sugars were generally a bit lower in '96. Incidentally, fans of great white Burgundy should track down a bottle or two of Faiveley '95 Corton-Charlemagne, a worthy successor to the outstanding '89.

This recent dinner was a great opportunity to catch up with friends over a leisurely meal and enjoy some nice bottles. The food was off the charts, and the wines were pretty terrific too.