2019 Joseph Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges Premier Cru

"A mixture of domaine and purchased grapes that are vinified together, Faiveley's 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges wafts from the glass with notes of sweet berries, plums, espresso roast, dark chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied, layered and gourmand, it's sumptuous and charming, with lively acids and a ripe, enveloping core of fruit. Jérôme Flous told me that Faiveley began picking on September 9, finishing by the 20th, and that yields averaged out at around 35 hectoliters per hectare in white and a little less in red. Comparing the 2019 vintage to "a more concentrated version of 2010," he admires—as I do—its vibrant fruit tones and refined tannins, finding it more elegant than 2018. The quality of the red wines chez Faiveley is old news, and for more information on this firm's evolution I direct readers to my report published in the August 2020 Week 1 issue of The Wine Advocate. It's worth underlining, however, how good the whites are these days: Flous tells me that he now includes fûts from Damy and Chassin in the white wine barrel program, and in the last few vintages, I've found the wines' new oak component better and better integrated. (WK) " (1/2021)

"A moderately toasty nose reveals notes of both red and dark berries, newly turned earth and a touch of the sauvage. The mid-palate of the succulent, round and seductively textured medium weight plus flavors contrasts significantly with the overtly austere, compact, slightly warm and very serious finish that makes clear this is very much built for long-term cellaring. Excellent quality provided you have the patience to wait. *Sweet Spot, Outstanding!* " (1/2021)