Nicolas Faure

History of Domaine Nicolas Faure

Nicolas Faure was born in Bordeaux and grew up in Lorraine, where his father ran a wine cellar that passed on to him a love of great wines. Rather than taking over the family business, he chose the path of terroir and the vine. In 2004, he enrolled at the Beaune viticulture school (la Viti) and embarked on an exceptional initiatory journey: a stay in New Zealand, stints in Saint-Émilion, with Jean-Louis Chave in the Rhône Valley, then a return to Burgundy at the prestigious Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and at Prieuré-Roch. This dual training, combining northern and southern approaches, shaped a deeply personal vision rooted in the expression of terroir.

In 2011, Nicolas Faure seized the opportunity to take over a plot at the lieu-dit Les Herbues in Nuits-Saint-Georges, and produced his first vintage — just over a thousand bottles vinified in a friend's cellar. From 2013 onwards, he gradually acquired new plots: very old centenary Aligoté vines near Pernand-Vergelesses, Gamay in Premeaux-Prissey, Pinot Noir on the Côte de Nuits, and then a plot in Aloxe-Corton in 2015. The domaine officially took shape in 2014. Today, Nicolas Faure leads a dual viticultural life: by day, he is head of cultivation at Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet in Fixin, an estate managed by his wife Amélie; in the evenings, he tends to his own plots. A confidential production of around 5,000 bottles per year has elevated his name to the ranks of contemporary Burgundian revelations.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Nicolas Faure

Across barely more than one hectare, Domaine Nicolas Faure brings together a mosaic of exceptional terroirs on the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. The plots are spread across Nuits-Saint-Georges (Les Herbues, Le Coteau des Bois), Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses, the Hautes Côtes de Beaune around La Corvée de Bully, and Premeaux-Prissey for the Gamay. The soils combine deep clay-limestone, marls and the white earths characteristic of the Côte. Some plots are home to centenary Aligoté Doré vines, as well as Pinot Noir planted in 1964 and Gamay dating from 1973 — old vines that constitute a precious genetic heritage.

Nicolas Faure's viticultural philosophy rests on a single principle: to treat every plot as a grand cru. The farming is organic but uncertified, with a constant aim of low yields to obtain concentrated, ripe grapes. Soil work is carried out with respect for biodiversity, preserving the surrounding ecosystem. Harvesting is entirely manual, with rigorous selection both in the vineyard and at the sorting table. This meticulous approach, inherited in particular from his time at Romanée-Conti, makes Domaine Nicolas Faure an exemplary player in the new wave of Burgundian winemakers.

Winemaking at Domaine Nicolas Faure

In the cellar, Nicolas Faure practises an artisanal and minimally interventionist approach to winemaking, strongly inspired by his mentors. All the reds are vinified with 100% whole clusters, a demanding choice that brings freshness, tension and a floral, spicy aromatic signature characteristic of the domaine. Pressing is carried out in an old vertical press similar to the one used at Domaine Leroy, ensuring a gentle and precise extraction. Fermentations take place exclusively with indigenous yeasts, without any external additions, and without sulphur throughout the entire vinification phase.

Ageing typically lasts from eight to sixteen months depending on the cuvée, exclusively in used barrels (old barriques), so as never to mark the wines with oak. The reds are neither fined nor filtered. For the whites, a light fining with bentonite may be carried out if necessary. Sulphur is used only in minimal quantities, just before bottling to stabilise the wine. This very natural approach, combined with the exceptional quality of the terroirs, gives rise to pure, vibrant, expressive Burgundy wines capable of revealing, with rare transparency, the identity of each individual plot.

The Cuvées of Domaine Nicolas Faure

Bourgogne Aligoté La Corvée de Bully : an emblematic white cuvée, from very old centenary Aligoté Doré vines planted in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, near Pernand-Vergelesses. The wine offers a rich and complex character, notes of candied citrus, kumquat and lemon, on a taut, saline mineral framework that brilliantly rehabilitates this all-too-often underestimated grape variety.

Bourgogne Aligoté Les Vignes Blanches : the domaine's second Aligoté expression, from a confidential plot. Vinified with the same minimalist approach as La Corvée de Bully, this white seduces with its crystalline freshness, aromatic precision and beautiful saline length.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc La Corvée de Bully : a Chardonnay from a plot in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, vinified and aged with the same rigour as the Aligotés. The wine unfolds pure fruit (pear, white apple, subtle citrus notes), a taut and energetic palate, bearing witness to the often overlooked qualitative potential of the Hautes Côtes.

Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc Les Vignes Blanches : a single-vineyard Chardonnay cuvée from a village appellation on the Côte de Beaune. The wine stands out for its beautiful structure, floral and white fruit aromas, fine minerality and a persistent finish, faithful to the elegance of the great whites of Pernand.

Coteaux Bourguignons Mes Gamays : a cuvée born from a 13-are plot in Premeaux-Prissey, just next to Nuits-Saint-Georges, planted with Gamay in 1973 on clay soil. Vinified with whole clusters and aged eight months in old barrels, with no fining or filtration, it delivers a Gamay perfumed with cherry, peony and redcurrant — juicy, fresh and incredibly inviting.

Bourgogne Rouge Aux Argillières : a regional red Burgundy from a Pinot Noir plot on the Côte de Nuits, at the lieu-dit Aux Argillières. Vinified with whole clusters, this wine stands out for its purity, depth and aromatic delicacy characteristic of the domaine, offering an ideal entry point into the world of Nicolas Faure.

Aloxe-Corton : a village cuvée at the heart of the Côte de Beaune, from a plot taken over in 2015. A fleshy and structured Pinot Noir, marked by the clay-limestone soils of the Corton hill, with deep fruit, fine tannins and excellent ageing potential. An elegant and distinguished expression of Aloxe-Corton.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Herbues : the domaine's historic and signature cuvée, from 0.23 hectares of Pinot Noir planted in 1964 on the Vosne-Romanée side of the village, on deep clay-silt soils. Vinified with 100% whole clusters and aged sixteen months in used barrels, this Nuits offers an intoxicating nose of wild strawberry, blackcurrant and eucalyptus, a fleshy and taut palate, lifted by a mineral backbone and a long, fresh finish.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Le Coteau des Bois : the second Nuits-Saint-Georges cuvée, from the climat Le Coteau des Bois. A Pinot Noir of great purity, marked by the clay-limestone soils typical of the southern part of the appellation, with vibrant fruit, a fine framework and beautiful depth, in the airy and precise style that has made the domaine's reputation.