Faiveley Echezeaux En Orveaux Grand Cru

The first records of Echezeaux date back to the end of the 13th century. The monks from the abbey of Citeaux were aware of the outstanding quality of this terroir and its wines and had traded certain parcels in order to acquire land in Echezeaux. Domaine Faiveley's parcel lies in one of the appellation's sub-climats: "En Orveaux" lies on a slope close to the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "La Combe d'Orveau".

Winemaker notes

Clear ruby hue and an enticing nose offering fruity and toasty notes. The palate is smooth and fruity with silky tannins and a long, lingering finish. This grand cru offer a firm, well balanced structure and excellent ageing potential.

2020

Burghound 91-94: Moderate wood influence frames the perfumed and elegant aromas of black cherry, hoisin, violet, lavender and exotic tea. Here too there is excellent mid-palate density and volume to the rich and opulent medium weight plus flavors that retain reasonably good detail on the austere bitter cherry-inflected and slightly warm finale that goes on and on. This isn't quite as complex as the Clos de Vougeot but that may well change if given adequate time.

Wine Advocate 92-94: The 2020 Echézeaux En Orveaux Grand Cru bursts with aromas of sweet red berries, rose petals, peonies, orange rind, plums and cinnamon. Medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with powdery tannins, lively acids and a long, precise finish, this, too, is very promising.

Decanter 96: 20% of the grapes are whole-cluster fermented, and the wine has bright blackberry and floral notes on the nose. The cool site imbues the wine with a lovely freshness and firm tannic structure. This will open with a few years in bottle and should age well. This is produced from 0.83ha of domaine-owned vines planted in the white marl soils of the Combe d'Orveaux (and labelled as such).

2022

Burghound 92-95: An exuberantly spicy nose features notes of clove, anise, sandalwood and jasmine tea on the nose of mostly black cherry, all of which is framed in moderately generous wood. There is outstandingly intensity to the utterly delicious flavors that culminate in a strikingly persistent and balanced finish where a touch of wood eventually reappears. This could use better depth but a few years of keeping should prove helpful.

Wine Advocate 93-95: Aromas of dark berries, incense, exotic spices, peonies and orange zest introduce the 2022 Echézeaux En Orveaux Grand Cru, a full-bodied, broad and enveloping wine that's ample and seamless, with a rich core of fruit that largely conceals its suave structuring tannins, animated by lively acids and concluding with a saline finish.

James Suckling 96-97: Deep nose of sour cherries with so many delicate spicy and earthy nuances. Ripe and expansive, but so bright and precise. Great energy at the driving finish. From a plot right next to Musigny.

Decanter 95: Tasted twice with consistent notes, the Echézeaux En Orveau from Faiveley shows almost like a Chambolle – in fact, the grapes come from vines near the border, next to the Combe d'Orveau that is part of Musigny. This relatively cool terroir and the white marl soils found here bring the wine great finesse and a very expressive bright pomegranate and raspberry fruit with a floral edge. A bit later in the maturation, the firm tannic grip of the structure revealed itself, yet there is an elegance and delicacy that stays with the wine until the very end – marvellous.