2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine Faiveley, Burgundy

2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine Faiveley, Burgundy

Product: 20178011576
Prices start from £359.00 per case Buying options
2017 Pommard, Les Rugiens, 1er Cru, Domaine Faiveley, Burgundy

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Available by the case In Bond. Pricing excludes duty and VAT, which must be paid separately before delivery. Storage charges apply.
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6 x 75cl bottle
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £359.00
BBX marketplace BBX 1 case £360.00
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Description

Purchased in 2007 in the premium Rugiens-Haut sector, the parcel is almost exactly 0.5 hectares, planted in 1953. This is genuinely impressive, ripe with no sense at all of the loose-limbed character of some 2017 reds from around here. Compact and brooding. Drink 2023-2030.

Faiveley began picking on 2nd September in Meursault, while the first Pinot Noir was harvested in Volnay and Pommard on 4th September. Their red Grands Crus were picked between 9th and 14th September. They compare their reds to 2007 and 2011, although they say the 2017s have a fleshier palate. As previously there has been some considered use of whole bunches in the fermentation for some selected smaller vineyard parcels. For the whites, they consider 2017 to be an outstanding vintage with powerful, rich and intensely aromatic wines.

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About this WINE

Domaine Joseph Faiveley

Domaine Joseph Faiveley

Domaine Faiveley is one of the biggest domaines (115ha) in Burgundy and, many would argue, one of the best.

This illustrious company has been based in Nuits St Georges since the days of Pierre Faiveley who founded the business in 1825. His son Joseph gave his name to the family business, to be followed by the first François, Georges who was instrumental in founding the Chevaliers du Tastevin, Guy who developed the business in the Côte Chalonnaise, François who has recently retired and now his son Erwan, born in 1979.
 
The change of generation, enhanced by the arrival of Bernard Hervet as Managing Director, is clear warning of the intention to dynamise the business. Already there has been a notable expansion of vineyards under Faiveley’s control – purchase of Domaine Annick Parent (Pommard, Volnay and Monthélie), Domaine Monnot (various Puligny-Montrachet vineyards including grands crus Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet) and the contract to farm the vineyards of Domaine Matrot-Wittersheim in Meursault and Blagny. Between them, these initiatives greatly expand Faiveley’s presence in the Côte de Beaune, thus also increasing the proportion of white wines in what they have to offer. It is too early for me to have formed a clear idea of the Faiveley white wine style.
 
There are several separate viticultural teams to cover the ground, ensuring that all the vineyards are ploughed, the vines are pruned short and debudded meticulously. The grapes are entirely destemmed and fermented in new wooden vats for the finer wines, conical stainless steel tanks for the lesser cuvées. There is less emphasis on extraction than in François Faiveley’s time, though the juice will still be punched down during fermentation. The most obvious change though is in the barrel cellar where the previous supplier has been dropped and replaced with Francois Frères, Taransaud and three other coopers. Both premier and grand cru wines may receive two-thirds new wood. Old style Faiveley wines could be massively tannic at the expense of the fruit. From 2007 the wines are much fresher and fruitier, yet still with real intensity.

Many of Faiveley's top wines are hand bottled with no filtration. This in turn results in clean, opulent wines that often show Pinot Noir at its best. Their concentration and richness are rarely equalled.

Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.

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Pommard

Pommard

The most powerful red wines of the Côte de Beaune emanate from Pommard, where complex soils with a high proportion of iron-rich clay produce deep-coloured, relatively tannic wines. A Pommard that is ready to drink in its first few years is probably not going to be a great example of the appellation.

Two vineyards stand out: the lower part of Les Rugiens, which has been mooted for promotion to Grand Cru status, and the five-hectare, walled Clos des Epéneaux, monopoly of Comte Armand.
  • 212 hectares of village Pommard
  • 125 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (28 in all). The finest vineyards include Les Rugiens, Les Epénots (including Clos des Epéneaux) and Pézérolles
  • Recommended producers: Comte Armandde Montille, de Courcel, J-M Boillot

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Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.

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When is a wine ready to drink?

We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.

Not ready

These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.

Ready - youthful

These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.

Ready - at best

These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.

Ready - mature

These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.