Faiveley Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru

This climat is named after the small houses known as "Mazis" that used to be present on this parcel. It is the most northern of the Gevrey-Chambertin Grands Crus. Domaine Faiveley's parcel lies in the"Mazis Haut" (upper Mazis) and offers a unique terroir composed of an alluvial cone where scree from the valley has gathered. The wines produced in this climat are seductive, lively and very deep.

Winemaker notes

This wine reveals a deep ruby red hue and intense notes of oak, spice and red fruits on the nose. The palate offers the same aromas and the nose with a harmonious combination of fruity and oaky notes. With its smooth tannins and long, lingering finish, this well-balanced wine is the epitome of elegance.

2018

Burghound 92-95: Once again there is just enough wood to point out along with hints of menthol, anise and the sauvage adding breadth to the ripe dark currant scents. As is usually the case, the larger-scaled flavors possess more size and weight if not the same refinement or minerality as the Latricières where the supporting tannins coat the palate on the grippy, serious and youthfully austere finale. This is very definitely and 'buy and forget it somewhere deep in the cellar' wine.

Wine Advocate (92-94)+: More reserved than the Charmes and Latricières, the 2018 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru opens in the glass with a brooding bouquet of cassis, wild berries, smoked meats, rich soil tones, licorice and caramelized orange. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and introverted, with an ample endowment of fine, powdery tannins and lively underpinning acids. I'm looking forward to revisiting this from bottle.

Vinous 95: The 2018 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru has a delightful, well-defined bouquet with pure dark berry fruit, just a touch of reduction, yet you can tell the caliber behind it. The palate is medium-bodied with a harmonious, creamy-textured opening, well judged acidity, very good Clos-de-Bèze spine with a sapid finish. Superb.

Decanter 96: Aristocratic' is how winemaker Jérôme Flous describes this superb Grand Cru bottling, which combines understated power and concentration with some tannic grip and refreshing acidity. It's a wine that needs more time in barrel and bottle to integrated its 50% new wood, but has all the elements to be age with distinction. Rich and serious.

2019

Burghound 93-95: A slightly riper and exuberantly spicy nose is composed by notes of black cherry, dark raspberry, the sauvage and a whiff of earth. There is superb mid-palate density to the opulent yet serious big-bodied flavors that are shaped by a firm core of dense and very firm tannins on the hugely long yet impeccably well-balanced finish. This muscular effort is also going to need extended cellaring if you wish to see its full, and ample, potential realized.

Wine Advocate (93-95)+: Wild and brooding, Faiveley's 2019 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru wafts from the glass with aromas of smoked meats, spices, wild berries and forest floor. Full-bodied, layered and sapid, it's broad and muscular, with a deep core of fruit and youthfully chalky tannins. This is a serious Mazis built for the long haul.

James Suckling 98: Enormous structure here, the tannins resembling the perfectly toned muscles of a body builder, but this enormously dense wine also has excellent balance, the freshness at the widescreen finish lifting this huge mass effortlessly.

Vinous 95-97: The 2019 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru contains 20% whole bunch, since the single parcel of 80-year-old vines tends to produce tiny bunches. This has a complex bouquet of red plum, red currant, marmalade and light peppery notes that seems to expand with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. Poised and harmonious, leading to a precise and very persistent, earthy finish. Superb.

Decanter 96: From 1.56ha of several parcels in the Mazis-Haut lieu-dit. Despite a fermentation in open-top wood fermenters, with a proportion of whole clusters punched down daily and aged in 60% new casks, this is far from aggressive. Seductively approachable, showing red berry fruit character, mineral and smoky notes, with a silky, fairly open texture displaying great finesse without lacking substance.

2020

Burghound 92-94: A discreet though still easily perceptible dollop of wood sets off very earthy aromas of various dark berries, humus and old leather. The rich, powerful and seriously concentrated big-bodied flavors possess impressive size, weight and power along with good minerality on the attractively textured and hugely long finale where the only nit is again, a hint of warmth.

Wine Advocate 93-95: The 2020 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is deep and brooding, unfurling in the glass with aromas of blackberries, peonies, loamy soil and sweet soil tones. Full-bodied, ample and velvety, its concentrated core of fruit is framed by rich, powdery tannins and succulent acids. It's a worthy follow-up to the brilliant 2019.

Vinous 93-95: The 2020 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is not quite as expressive as the Latricières on the nose with blueberry and wild strawberry fruit, violet and crushed rock scents, the latter becoming more prominent with time in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, powerful and saturated in style, fleshy but nicely controlled on the finish. This should age very well in bottle - stylish and suave.

Decanter 97: Lovely plum and blackcurrant fruit, with notable floral aromas, a bit of mineral, then hints of spice and smoke. The texture has a lovely richness, with plenty of structure and a firm tannic line, yet it remains approachable and supple. Faiveley owns 1.56ha in Mazis, which they picked at 13.5% potential alcohol in 2020. The grapes were partially destemmed and fermented with a very gentle extraction prior to ageing in 50% new casks.

Wine Spectator 94: Ripe and packed with cherry and berry fruit, this red is creamy and resonant. Reveals spice, licorice, tobacco, meat and mineral elements as this plays out on the long, spicy finish. What this lacks in concentration it makes up for with finesse and length.

2021

Burghound 91-94: A touch of green tea character sits atop the aromas of plum, cherry and more prominent sauvage nuances. There is a really lovely mouthfeel to the suave, round and powerful medium-bodied flavors that also display evident minerality on the slightly more complex but noticeably more persistent finale. At least some patience will be necessary as this is quite tightly wound.

Wine Advocate 92-94: Deeper and more structured than the ethereal Latricières, the 2021 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru reveals aromas of red berries, orange zest, forest floor and a discreet touch of toasty new oak, followed by a full-bodied, layered and impressively concentrated palate.

Vinous 93-95: The 2021 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru has a touch of reduction but there is more complexity vis-a-vis the Latricieres, a melange of red and black fruit, sous-bois and pressed flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, well balanced, a liberal sprinkling of black pepper with a nicely focused and quite structured finish (for the vintage). Very fine.

Wine Spectator 95: Cherry, boysenberry and floral flavors are the main themes, along with an earthy, feral note, shaded by sandalwood and sweet oak spices. This red is taut and linear as it plays out on the compact finish, and though difficult to see where it's going, this is intense and long. Best from 2026 through 2045.

2022

Burghound 93-95: Toasty reduction knocks down the nose but there is fine freshness and richness to the suave and seductively textured bigger-bodied flavors that are generously proportioned while displaying both good tension and complexity on the impressively persistent and more powerful, if less refined, finish where a hint of wood appears. This isn't quite as mineral-driven but save for a subtle touch of warmth, it's beautifully balanced and should amply repay extended cellaring.

Wine Advocate 94-96: The 2022 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru is deep and brooding, unwinding in the glass with aromas of minty cherries and dark berries mingled with spiced plums, orange zest and peony. Full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit framed by supple tannins and animated by bright acids, it concludes with a pure, saline finish.

James Suckling 99-100: Almost perfect red cherry nose! Ripe, densely concentrated and tightly wound. Staggering intensity and brilliance at the almost endless finish. What amazing finesse!