Musigny Grand Cru 2018 - Faiveley

Musigny Grand Cru 2018 - Faiveley

Domaine Joseph Faiveley

(95 - 97)/100 Parker

Tasted by William Kelley on January 9, 2020: "There is an almost unprecedented 400 bottles of Faiveley's 2018 Musigny Grand Cru this year, a tiny cuvée that was vinified with 50% whole clusters. Soaring from the glass with a deep bouquet of cherries, wild berries, peonies, incense and licorice, the wine is full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, with superb balance and a long, resonant finish. This is a wine that has fully sublimated the sunny sweetness that defines the vintage, the terroir effortlessly dominating the year."

THE MILLENNIUM

2018 is an early vintage. We started harvesting on August 27th in Mercurey. It is a classic vintage that can be appreciated quickly because it is already very pleasant. In Côte de Nuits, our red wines are rich and warm: they are somewhat similar to our 2009. They are sunny wines with a good structure. Fragrant, they offer aromas of ripe black fruits. They are seductive wines with some similarities with the 2017 and 2011 vintages.

CHARACTERISTIC OF THE APPELLATION

On their rocky terrace, the Musigny and Petits Musigny overlook the Clos de Vougeot, facing the rising sun. There was a Gallo-Roman settlement there whose owner was called Musinus, who gave his name to what was to become one of the most prestigious terroirs in Burgundy. Ten owners produce Musigny Grand Cru today, we are the smallest with only 3 ouvrées. We own two small parcels, one in the north and the other in the heart of the appellation.

Exposure : East, South-East

Soil : Shallow limestone soil, red clay and gravel

Grape variety : Pinot Noir

Surface area: 12 a 70 ca - [0.31 Acres].

Year of plantation : 1945, 1990

VINIFICATION & MATURING

The grapes are cut and sorted by hand. The proportions of de-stemming and whole grapes vary according to each vintage. The grapes are de-stemmed manually to obtain a fine and delicate tannic structure. The harvest is then placed in an oak barrel for a short skin maceration before vinification. Daily manual punching of the cap is carried out to extract the color, tannins and aromas from the grapes. After 19 days of vatting, the alcoholic fermentation is completed. The free-run wine is drained by gravity while a slow and gentle pressing of the marc allows to obtain a press wine of great purity. For 18 months, the Musigny is aged in new French oak barrels in our cellars with a natural and constant hygrometry and temperature. These barrels are selected for the fineness of their grain and their moderate toasting.

TASTING

Pairings : Roast meat, leg of lamb, stuffed turkey, veal fillet with morels, truffled poularde de Bresse

Temperature : 16°C

Ageing potential : 10 to 25 years