Winehog - Burgundy with a passion

Burgundy Insights from the Winehog

Visit Domaine Nicolas Faure, tasting of the 2016s from cask

By Leave a Comment

I do visit quite many estates – and there are many great moments, and highlights – but one of the most precious visits was my first tasting at Domaine Nicholas Faure in the summer of 2016.

I came unprepared as I never tasted the wines before – but the tasting revealed a style and quality of the wines served, that I have never encountered before.

This is not about points or ratings, and the wines from these rather modest terroirs can’t match the complexity and greatness of a grand cru – they can however offer a presence, energy and balance rarely found in bigger and more expensive wines.

It’s hard to find the words to explain the difference between the Nicolas Faure wines, and most good and “normal” village Burgundies. In in a sense I have a glimpse of the same experience as when comparing a wine from Domaine Leroy with wines from another fine producers. There are something extra – a balance and perhaps even a closer link to the terroir. The integration to the terroir seems seamless – as if the vines are more in contact with the terroir. Not that I’m directly comparing the Nicolas Faure wines with the Domaine Leroy wines.

Perhaps this is just journalistic babblings – but this is however how I feel. And come to think of it – this is also the feeling I get when I taste the wines of Arnaud Tessier in Meursault – the very effortless and natural connection between the terroir and the wines produced. These are not technical wines but wines created in the vineyards – somehow also unpolished and uncompromised.

The 2014s, 2015s and 2016s from Nicolas Faure

Returning to the cellar of Nicolas Faure this year is both great and sort of depressing – as the amount of wine made in 2016 is even more miniscule. I do adore these wines … and think all should have the opportunity to taste them (after me that is).

I have tasted a few of the Nicolas Faure wines since the last visit – whenever I have the chance: The Aligote 2014 is still mindbogglingly good, and the 2014 reds are indeed magnificent for their level. The 2015 NSG is somewhat reduced currently – as sometimes seen with low SO2 wines in hotter years – examples being Pacalet and Prieure Roch in the 2009 vintage.

Sometimes they do need time to shed the reduction – taste the 2014s if possible instead – or if you need to taste the 2015s – give them ample time and decant the wines well before tasting.

I still have the red 2015s a notch over the 2014s – but for short term drinking I would choose the 2014s … in the end it’s a question of style.

The solution however seems to be at hand for this very serious dilemma – as the 2016 vintage offer at least some of the intensity of the 2015 vintage – but also some of the more classic coolness of the 2014 vintage.

In other words … the best of two worlds … but while I perhaps prefer the 2016s stylewise … I will settle for all three vintages. Chapeau Nicolas! …

A further note before going to the tasting notes … Nicolas Faure who is the boyfriend of Amélie Berthaut of Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet (another rising star) – and he will after the summer break be in charge of the viticulture at Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet. I therefore expect further improvements from Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet over the next years … Amélie has already raised the quality tremendously – the 2015s from Amélie are magnificent – see my notes on the 2015s here.
You need to login as a Premium subscriber to read the rest of this article including the tasting notes. If you are not a Premium Subscriber, use the subscribe function and sign-up.

Login

You need a Winehog subscription to see the rest of this article.
Login

Subscribe

You need a Winehog subscription to see the rest of this article.
Subscribe

—-

Tasting Notes for this producer

Related articles

  • Visit Domaine Nicolas Faure, tasting of the 2017s from cask What can I say … great to be back in the diminutive cellar at Domaine Nicolas Faure in Meuilley. My first visit to Meuilley was in the summer of 2016 – and while I had heard about the wines from Nicolas Faure, he was then still relatively unknown. Now two years later his wines are famous – ...
  • Visit Domaine Nicolas Faure, tasting of the 2016s from cask I do visit quite many estates – and there are many great moments, and highlights – but one of the most precious visits was my first tasting at Domaine Nicholas Faure in the summer of 2016. I came unprepared as I never tasted the wines before – but the tasting revealed a style and quality of ...
  • The red 2016s – Impressions and first insights After running through my tasting notes from my June 2017 trip I have updated my impressions on the 2016 red Burgundies. Thibaud Clerget of Domaine Y. Clerget. I will update these impressions as I taste more 2016s over the next year, and add more insights ass I find them. Red Burgundies 2016 – style and impressions The 2016 red ...
  • Visit at Domaine Nicolas Faure – mesmerising wines I have travelled Burgundy many times, but never seen or even heard about the village Meuilley. The tasting at Domaine Nicolas Faure certainly put Meuilly on the map for me with one of the most invigorating and memorable tastings I have attended in years. Domaine Nicolas Faure is a new estate – first vintage was 2011 ...
  • More impressions of the 2015 vintage On my third day of visits in Burgundy I had four tasings … Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Domaine Hereztyn-Mazzini, Albert Bichot and lastly Domaine Nicolas Faure.  The visits confirmed the high quality of the 2015 vintage, but also some indications of the challenges for those who harvested later. The tastings also show that some individual wines ...

New tasting notes and articles

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply