2014 Faiveley Chassagne-Montrachet

Domaine Faiveley is in Nuits-Saints-Georges in Burgundy. It was founded in 1825 as a negociant and several generations of Faiveleys worked to shape not only their own business but to improve the reputation of Burgundian wines. In the 1930s Georges Faiveley, then the family patriarch, was one of two Burgundians to found the influential Conferie du Tastevein, an organization that was over the decades instrumental in raising the prestige of Burgundy's wines. Today the estate is run by Erwan Faiveley, and besides still running a negociant business the family makes highly regarded Grand Crus, Premier Crus and villages wines. The estate includes 25 acres of Grand Cru parcels, including the monopole Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley. There are also two Premier Cru monopoles, Gevrey-Chambertin Cru Clos des Issarts, and Beaune Clos de l'Ecu. Burgundy writer Clive Coates has written that Domaine Faiveley "is one of the greatest sources of quality wine in the whole of Burgundy."

Chassagne-Montrachet is the appellation that covers the communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Remigny, and it is the southern-most of the Côte d’Or’s three great white wine appellations of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. With 1,200 acres of vineyards, it is one of the largest appellations in the region, and more than half the vineyard acreage is Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The three famous Grand Crus are Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. There are also 16 main Premiers Crus, most of them considered very high quality, and village wines. One fact rarely noted is that historically the appellation produced more red than white wine. In the late 1990s the ratio of white to red wines changed, however, as more vineyards were converted from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, a logical decision given the acclaim of the appellation’s whites. There are still intriguing red wines produced. Clive Coates wrote that the appellation’s white wines generally are “full and firm, more akin to Puligny than to the softer, rounder wines of Meursault.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.