Faiveley summer wines: the generous white Mercurey

Over the last five years, I have really come to appreciate Domaine Faiveley due to the style, availability, and quality of its wines. It has the whole package, so to speak.

The Faiveley Chai in Nuits-Saint-Georges

Normally I taste a good selection of the domaine’s top-end wines, yet somehow I have never had the opportunity to discover some of the lesser appellations. This is actually a bit sad, as its less-vaunted wines are both enjoyable and available.

I decided to dive into five affordable wines from the Faiveley portfolio in five articles, and I asked Eve Faiveley to select for me a few lighter summer wines. Please note: I don’t know if these are the wines Eve and Erwan Faiveley are actually drinking tonight – but why not!.

One of the appellations missing when you taste in the Nuits-Saint-Georges cellar is the domaine’s magnificent Mercurey.

Summer Wine 2: Mercurey Clos Rochette Monopole 2018

The second summer wine is the Mercurey Clos Rochette 2018, coming from the core of the Faiveley holdings in Mercurey just next to the Framboisière vineyard. This is a Faiveley monopole since 1933, with the vines planted in 1960, 1987, 1999, 2009 and 2017. It’s aged in oak, 25% of which is new, giving the wine nice support. The large vineyard covers 5.4525 ha, so availability is reasonable.

This is a weightier wine than the Ladoix – the chardonnay tone is slightly deeper in the Cote Chalonnaise, giving the wine a chewier, more fulfilling character. The oak is slightly more dominant, adding to the difference. This is great with spicy salads – chili shrimp, for example, works very well with this expressive wine. Rich, slightly exotic fruit with a fine mineral note integrating well with the oaky spiciness. Not so much an aperitif wine, this is for spicy summer dishes.