Winemaker Notes
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.”
Noted as the preferred wine of King Henry IV of the late 1500s—though maybe because his mistress came from here!—Givry is a top red wine-producing village in the Côte Chalonnaise.
Its firmly structured reds, made exclusively from Pinot Noir, also boast plenty of blackberry and strawberry fruit with supple tannins that benefit from about two to five years in the bottle. The robust fruit and firmness on the palate in a Givry red begs for dishes such as mixed charcuterie, braised veal, stewed poultry or roasted duck.
Typical Givry whites have a fresh bouquet of lemon, lime, white flower licorice and can benefit and become softer with age.