Winemaker Notes
This terroir offers a fruity and very elegant of the Pinot Noir varietal. It displays a deep ruby color and remarkably pure notes of red and black fruits. The palate is lively and spicy with a refreshing touch of menthol. This wine evolves beautifully in the bottle although its generous character makes it a pleasure to drink in its youth.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Aromas of plums, rich forest floor, warm spices and smoked meats introduce the 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Clos de l'Écu Monopole, a medium-bodied, bright and elegant wine that's satiny and melting, with lively acids and fine, powdery tannins. This is as fine a rendition of the Clos de l'Écu as I can remember tasting.
Range: 91-93 -
Wine Spectator
This is opulent and concentrated, offering black cherry, plum, earth and peppery spice flavors. Firm and tightly coiled, with accents of smoke and licorice on the lasting finish. Best from 2024.
Founded in 1825, Bourgognes Faiveley has been handed down from father to son for over 175 years. As the sixth generation to take the reins, François Faiveley manages, with equal amounts passion and competence, the largest family domaine in Burgundy. Methodically reconstructing vineyards fractured by French inheritance laws, Bourgognes Faiveley today owns more appellations in their entirety (monopoles) than any other domaine in Burgundy.
"Faiveley’s wines are... supremely clean and elegant: definitive examples of Pinot Noir... above all they have richness and breed, the thumbprint of a master winemaker."
-Clive Coates M.W.
Côte d’Or, A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.