For the better part of a century, Faiveley has been a reference point in Mazis-Chambertin. Yet the past decade has seen a further jump in quality, to the point where it is now rivalling wines from the bluest of the Côte d’Or blue chips.

Faiveley’s Mazis comes from vines dating to 1937 in this east-facing slope of gravel over a pure limestone base, and their powerful earthiness and rich, spicy fruit has long found a vibrant resonance in Faiveley’s hands.

But it was the arrival of Erwan Faiveley in 2007 that has enabled the house’s Mazis-Chambertin to ascend to an entirely new level. As a vineyard that has been so closely identified with his family, Erwan has set his sights on making a wine that can even outshine the house’s fabulous Clos de Bèze and Musigny.

And with the brilliant 2012 and 2015, that goal is clearly within view. The naturally low yields of these two vintages produced highly concentrated Mazis fruit, that perfectly balances impeccably ripe fruit with firm structure.

Vintage & Maker in Synch

Both vintages play precisely to the Faiveley style, and Erwan tailored his winemaking to the character of each vintage. He destemmed all of the fruit in 2012, while including some whole clusters in 2015, thereby capturing Mazis’ magically sauvage yet elegant expression with stunning precision and intensity.

With such ancient vines, and unique soils, all that Faiveley’s Mazis-Chambertin needed was a winemaker with the will to produce something miraculous. The 2012 and 2015 offer compelling proof that it has found that missing ingredient in Erwan Faiveley.