Faiveley Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2017
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Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
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Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Deep ruby red with complex fruity and floral notes (rose, violet) and a subtle hint of oak on the nose. The attack is smooth with powerful tannins. This well-structured and very persistent wine is an honour to the reputation of this exceptional Grand Cru.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Black cherries and plums with an intense, earthy note. Great depth and structure, the power married to cool freshness that gives this great vitality. Enormously long and complex finish. Try to wait until at least 2023.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has turned out very well indeed, wafting from the glass with a lovely bouquet of dark wild berries, smoked meats, incense, spices and dark chocolate that's framed by a lavish but nicely integrated application of high-quality new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and velvety, with a layered and impressively concentrated core, melting tannins and a long, sapid finish. It's one of the highlights of Faiveley's red portfolio this year, punching above its weight in the usual hierarchy.
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Decanter
This is a distinctly serious Clos de Vougeot from the Faiveleys, sourced from three parcels in the Clos, two high and one lower, adding up to 1.3ha. It's rich, dense and showing what technical director,Jérôme Flous calls 'attractive rusticity', a sensitively oaked wine that's spicy and well balanced.
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Wine Spectator
A sleek red, with well-defined cherry, floral, spice and earth notes aligned to a firm structure. This is reserved for now, with an expanding finish that emphasizes the oak spice and dark fruit elements. Best from 2022 through 2040.
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Founded in 1825, Bourgognes Faiveley has been handed down from father to son for over 175 years. As the sixth generation to take the reins, François Faiveley manages, with equal amounts passion and competence, the largest family domaine in Burgundy. Methodically reconstructing vineyards fractured by French inheritance laws, Bourgognes Faiveley today owns more appellations in their entirety (monopoles) than any other domaine in Burgundy.
"Faiveley’s wines are... supremely clean and elegant: definitive examples of Pinot Noir... above all they have richness and breed, the thumbprint of a master winemaker."
-Clive Coates M.W.
Côte d’Or, A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Containing the largest Grand Cru in all of the Côte d’Or, Vougeot, the village, takes its name from the small stream flowing through it, called Vouge. Over three quarters of the village retains Grand Cru status, and a single vineyard at that: Clos de Vougeot (or simply, Clos Vougeot). Its mass—over 50 ha—retains the single name chiefly for historic reasons.
But today, Clos de Vougeot contains over 80 owners and shows significant soil and slope variations within its boundaries. The top, bordering Musigny and Grands Echezeaux, is calcareous and gravelly on oolitic limestone and exhibits wonderful drainage. The middle sections are limestone, gravel and clay with less of a slope. The lower part has little slant and is mostly made of clay. Historically the diverse parcels were blended but today the abundance of owners means that everyone has his own style. Exploring and understanding them is part of the allure of Clos de Vougeot.
In general a fine Clos de Vougeot when young will be dense and dark but juicy, with a pronounced austerity, and needs a good ten years to bring it to its full potential.