Faiveley Mercurey Clos des Myglands 2008
Available at Suburban Wines and Spirits
Retail price: around $36
It’s All in the Breed
The House of Faiveley, or more aptly, the Domaine, has always enjoyed distinction. It’s a consistently well-regarded winery, with a passion for cultivating excellence in the short and long term. Call it what you will—good breeding comes to mind—but the Faiveley wines stand apart. Perhaps it is the seven generations of the family that have, since 1825, each added their own fingerprints to the noble endeavor of capturing the very best of each vineyard.
The 2008 Mercurey Clos des Myglands is a perfect example of Faiveley’s fingerprint of excellence; it is at once a classic expression of Burgundian pinot noir while also being uniquely Faiveley, since Clos des Myglands is a monopole vineyard (entirely owned by one producer). Monopoles are fairly rare in Burgundy because of Napoleonic laws of inheritance that effectively fractured family vineyard holdings with each generation. Currently the winery is run by Erwan Faiveley, who, at the age of 30, has already made positive changes by introducing a lighter touch to the wines, more appropriate for today’s savvy wine lover.
On the nose, the wine is focused in its clean expression of rich raspberries and tart cranberries. Swirling the wine opens it nicely, inviting hints of spice, licorice and mint to come and play in the glass. The first sip shows a fine acidity in balance with the more silky tannins that coat the sides of the month. It strikes a harmonious chord and resonates in the passageways of pleasure, from my tongue to my throat to my brain. Yes, this will do nicely, very nicely!
If you plan to celebrate a traditional Thanksgiving involving roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, I simply cannot think of a finer wine than this particular Mercurey. I’m planning to include Domaine Faiveley on my list of things I’m thankful for in 2010.
Tags: Burgundy, cranberry sauce, D.D. Rice, Faiveley Mercurey Clos des Myglands 2008, France, Paris, pinot noir, reds, Thanksgiving, travel, turkey, wine, women
