Domaine Faiveley’s Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2018 is a Pinot Noir from three parcels totaling 1.27 hectares inside the walled Clos de Vougeot. Decanter reports holdings in Grand Maupertui, Baudes Basses, and Quatorze Journaux, noting that “the oldest vines date to before WWII.” Winemaking is classic for a serious Côte de Nuits Grand Cru: the fruit is “mostly destemmed,” given “a cold maceration,” then fermented with “native yeasts,” followed by “16–18 months in cask… 60% new in 2018,” per Decanter. (A technical sheet lists the wine at 13% alcohol.)

In the glass, the 2018 reads as a dark-fruited, soil-driven Clos de Vougeot with both breadth and firmness. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (95 points) calls it “performing very well,” led by a “deep-pitched bouquet of cassis, wild berries, incense, rich soil tones and woodsmoke.” On the palate, the same review describes a wine that is “full-bodied, layered and broad-shouldered,” finishing “long and sapid,” and concludes, “this is another excellent Clos Vougeot from Faiveley… go[ing] from strength to strength every year.” That is an excellent review and places the wine among the vintage’s stronger examples from the estate.

Burghound is similarly positive at 94 points (92–94), emphasizing a more lifted register: an “elegant and high-toned nose” of “red cherry, raspberry, soft earth and humus,” with “subtle wood nuances.” The palate is described as “sleek, round and seductive,” with “lovely mid-palate density,” before a “very firmly structured” finish that “flashes the characteristic youthful austerity.”

Decanter (93 points) sums up the overall stance: “concentrated and powerful,” with “ripe, fragrant… dark plums,” “pleasant floral notes,” and “a mineral underpinning.” While it notes “no shortage of tannin or alcohol,” it also stresses that “the balance is there,” and recommends patience. Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy) also frames it as built for time, calling it “tight… concentrated,” with “a block of tannins at the back,” and “quite an old-fashioned version of Clos de Vougeot terroir.” Overall, 2018 is a structured, serious Faiveley Clos de Vougeot that should reward cellaring.