Faiveley

History of Domaine Faiveley

The story began in 1825, when Pierre Faiveley, a native of Nuits-Saint-Georges, founded the estate that still bears his name. In 1860, the property passed to his nephew Joseph, who made the house's masterstroke by acquiring Clos des Cortons, a grand cru monopole on the Corton hill, followed in 1874 by plots in Corton-Charlemagne. His son François succeeded him in 1889 and, during his thirty years at the helm of the estate, bought vines in the Les Saint-Georges premier cru in Nuits and the Clos de Vougeot grand cru. The next generation, represented by Guy Faiveley, signed a lease on land in the Côte Chalonnaise in 1933 and helped found the Chevaliers du Tastevin brotherhood, which would contribute to a revival of Burgundy wines' image.

François Faiveley, the sixth generation, joined the estate in 1976 at the age of twenty-five and greatly expanded its vineyards in the Côte de Nuits, Montagny and Mercurey before his departure in 2004. In 2005, his son Erwan took over as president and began a far-reaching transformation: modernizing the winemaking facilities, appointing Jérôme Flous as Director of Wines and Vineyards in 2007, and shifting the style toward greater freshness, purer fruit and finer tannins. His sister Ève joined him in 2014, becoming the first woman in seven generations to co-lead the house. Acquisitions continued apace: plots in Musigny, Charmes-Chambertin, Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet in 2008; the acquisition of Domaine Dupont-Tisserandot in Gevrey-Chambertin; the leasing of Domaine Zibetti in Chambolle-Musigny; the purchase of Domaine Billaud-Simon in Chablis; and a stake in Williams Selyem in California. A new winery opened in Mercurey in 2015, while the historic Nuits-Saint-Georges winery, known as Le 38, was completely renovated in 2018. The estate celebrated its bicentennial in 2025.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Faiveley

With more than 120 hectares, including approximately 30 hectares planted with Chardonnay, the vineyards are among Burgundy's most extensive and, above all, among its richest in classified crus: approximately 13 hectares of grands crus and 30 hectares of premiers crus. In the Côte de Nuits, the estate owns plots in Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot and, of course, Nuits-Saint-Georges, the family's historic home. In the Côte de Beaune, it has holdings on the Corton hill and in Beaune, Ladoix, Volnay, Pommard, Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. The Côte Chalonnaise, long considered secondary, is another cornerstone, with Mercurey, Rully, Givry, Montagny and Maranges.

Faiveley's distinguishing feature is its remarkable collection of monopoles, climats held by a single owner: Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley, the only Burgundy grand cru to bear a family's name, as well as Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos des Issarts, Beaune 1er Cru Clos de l'Écu, and several clos in Mercurey, including the 6.31-hectare Clos des Myglands, La Framboisière, Les Mauvarennes, Clos Rond and Clos Rochette. The estate practices responsible viticulture with particular attention to the products it uses and careful soil management, and has more recently committed to an organic viticulture approach. Its philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: a fine wine begins with beautiful grapes from vines cultivated with respect and exacting care.

Winemaking at Domaine Faiveley

The grapes are harvested and sorted entirely by hand, with only the best bunches entering the winery. The estate operates two complementary winemaking facilities: the renovated Le 38 winery in Nuits-Saint-Georges, where the grands crus and premiers crus of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune are made and aged, and the Mercurey winery, opened in 2015 and dedicated to the Mercurey, Rully, Givry and Maranges appellations. This division allows for greater precision at every appellation level.

Fermentations use only indigenous yeasts, allowing the character of the vintage and each climat to shine through. Since the stylistic shift that began in 2007, extraction has become gentler, favoring fine tannins and clear fruit expression over power. The wines are then aged in French oak barrels for twelve to eighteen months, depending on the cuvée, with the proportion of new oak carefully adjusted so it never overwhelms the wine. The estate has one of Burgundy's most impressive vaulted cellars, dating from the 19th century, where constant temperature and humidity provide ideal conditions for aging before bottling. In all, the estate produces more than fifty different wines.

The Wines of Domaine Faiveley

Corton Grand Cru Clos des Cortons Faiveley is the house's crowning jewel, acquired in 1860 and the only Burgundy grand cru bearing a family's name. This monopole on the Corton hill produces a Pinot Noir of refined power, with black fruit, spice and undergrowth notes, a noble tannic structure and exceptional longevity measured in decades.

Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru represents the pinnacle of Gevrey-Chambertin: imposing stature, seemingly endless aromatic complexity and a silky texture. The exceptionally rare Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Les Ouvrées Rodin cuvée comes from a selection of plots at the heart of the climat and is one of the estate's most sought-after bottles.

The Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru stands out for its mineral firmness and depth, the Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru for its floral elegance and fine structure, and the Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru for its generous body and enticing fruit, making it more approachable in its youth.

Produced in tiny quantities, Musigny Grand Cru combines Chambolle's delicate intricacy with striking, airy depth. Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, part of the family's holdings for more than a century, brings together breadth, density and noble structure. Échezeaux Grand Cru and Grands-Échezeaux Grand Cru offer the spicy sensuality and length of Vosne-Romanée.

Corton Grand Cru rounds out the Côte de Beaune red grands crus with a sun-kissed, structured wine, offering aromas of black fruit and garrigue and built to age.

Among the whites, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, part of the estate since 1874, commands attention with intense minerality and a powerful structure, alongside notes of candied citrus, honey and toasted hazelnut. Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, acquired in 2008, reveal white stone fruit, citrus zest and pronounced minerality, with their opulence always balanced by freshness.

Among the Gevrey-Chambertin premiers crus, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers is one of the most renowned, powerful and mineral, while Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Combe aux Moines emphasizes verticality and freshness from its higher-altitude site. Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos des Issarts, an estate monopole, offers an intimate, refined wine. At village-appellation level, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes is a superb introduction: dense and fragrant.

In Chambolle-Musigny, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées, neighboring Bonnes-Mares, combines depth with caressing tannins, while Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d'Orveaux, planted at altitude near Musigny, captivates with its floral character and saline tension. The village-level Chambolle-Musigny expresses the same finesse in a more immediately accessible style.

In Nuits-Saint-Georges, the house's birthplace, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges is the flagship: dense, structured and exceptionally long-lived. Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Chaignots is finer and more fragrant; Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes is more slender, reflecting its upper-slope position; Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers is earthier and spicier; and Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vignes Rondes is softer and fruitier. The village-level Nuits-Saint-Georges completes the collection.

Vosne-Romanée brings the village's characteristic sensuality and fragrance, with fine tannins and a long finish. In the Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru Clos de l'Écu, an estate monopole, offers a balanced, charming Pinot Noir, while Ladoix, Volnay and Pommard span styles from floral finesse to earthy structure.

Among the Côte de Beaune whites, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain emphasizes verticality and chalky minerality, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts brings more body and richness, and Meursault reveals its rounded butter and hazelnut notes. The village-level Puligny-Montrachet completes the range.

In the Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey Domaine de la Framboisière is a benchmark for delicious appeal: juicy, crisp and immediately captivating. Mercurey Les Mauvarennes, Mercurey Clos Rond and the white Mercurey Clos Rochette, all monopoles, express the same generous fruitiness. Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands, a 6.31-hectare monopole, takes things up a notch with velvety tannins and impressive depth of red and black fruit. Rully, Givry, Montagny and Maranges, meanwhile, offer remarkable value for the pleasure they deliver.

Finally, in Chablis, thanks to the acquisition of Domaine Billaud-Simon, the house offers a complete range of Chardonnays from Kimmeridgian soils, from lively, crisp Petit Chablis and saline village-level Chablis to finely etched Chablis 1er Cru and deep, mineral Chablis Grand Cru built for long aging.