How this brother-and-sister team are revitalising their family’s wine business

Domaine Faiveley’s wines are becoming more expressive and elegant, thanks to the initiatives of Eve and Erwan Faiveley, the Burgundy estate’s seventh generation of vintners.

By

Lin Weiwen

Bordeaux and Burgundy, two French regional powerhouses, have long been the cynosure of oenophiles. To say which region makes better wine is like comparing apples and oranges, given their different grape varieties (Bordeaux focuses on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, while Burgundy worships Pinot Noir). But there’s no doubt both regions make great wine.Grape variety and geography aside, what distinguishes Burgundy from Bordeaux is family. Here, the word takes on a Mario Puzo-esque quality – it’s about duty and succession, sans the bloodshed. Wine is sp

“I wanted to be more involved in the family business. My father did not ask me to come back. He was afraid that my brother and I would fight,” says Eve. “But we get along and complement each other’s skills: he has a background in finance, and I have experience in marketing.”The weight of history and tradition is on their shoulders. Established in 1825, Domaine Faiveley owns 120 hectares of vineyards in the appellations of Cote de Nuits, Cote de Beaune, and Cote Chalonnaise, which include 12 hectares of Grand Crus and 25 hectares of Premier Crus, the

The elegant profile of Faiveley’s wines is the result of winemaking initiatives introduced by Erwan, notably, a gravity-flow system in the winery that eliminates the need for pumps when transferring wines from fermentation tanks to barrels, resulting in a gentler extraction of the wine. He has also reduced the use of oak-ageing.The conventional wisdom is that red wines with big, grippy tannins – the kind favoured by Francois – will mellow and merge over time, creating that complex, layered ambrosia that so many oenophiles love.But Faiveley’s less ta

If you are looking to impress a wine connoisseur in your party, Eve suggests picking the Corton ‘Clos des Cortons Faiveley’ ‘Monopole’ (a vineyard owned by a producer, in this case, Faiveley, and not shared with other estates), an elegant, feminine wine named after their most famous Grand Cru in Cote de Beaune. The vineyard has been owned by the family since 1874.

Eve reveals they have stopped the production of their lower tier Village wines from Beaujolais in southern Burgundy, preferring instead to focus more on their Premier Crus and Grand Crus. Their popular value-for-money Village wines from Cote Chalonnaise are not going anywhere, though. If you are a newcomer to the seductive mystery that is Burgundy, Eve says their “easy-drinking and very approachable” Mercurey ‘La Framboisiere’ Village Monopole from Cote Chalonnaise is a good way to start.

Domaine Faiveley wines are available from Grand Vin

READ> Rare sips: Yamazaki 50, Brora 30 and a cognac from 1848 available in Singapore

Source: CNA/ds

How this brother-and-sister team are revitalising their family’s wine business

Lin Weiwen

READ> Rare sips: Yamazaki 50, Brora 30 and a cognac from 1848 available in Singapore

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