Christie’s to celebrate 200 years of Domaine Faiveley with ‘epic’ sale
Christie’s is celebrating 200 years of Domaine Faiveley, the seventh generation Burgundian estate in Nuits-Saint-Georges, with an “epic” sale of rare Grand Cru verticals alongside “unicorn” large formats.
The sale, which is being held from 5-19 November, opens a rare window into the estate’s private cellars, with brother and sister team Erwan and Eve Faiveley picking the best of what they have in the cellars across the Grand Cru and top Premier Crus in order to represent the history of the estate, Christie’s Charles Foley told the drinks business.
“They’ve gone as old as they can with the 1908 Musigny and [the lots] reflect all of the Grand Crus that they have, plus we’ve gone in various formats to show the rarity as well,” he said.
The domaine dates back to 1825, when Pierre Faiveley established what “would grow into one of Burgundy’s most significant domaines”, Christie’s said. It now encompasses more than 120 hectares of vineyards — comprising 12 Grand Crus and 22 Premier Crus across some of Burgundy’s finest terroirs.
The sale features 475 lots, with the majority sold in bottle format, put together in verticals rather than cases in order to make “more approachable and appealing” to consumers, with prices starting at around £400 for six different vintages.
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“There’s an appeal for lots of clients to have vintage variation of a particular Grand Cru, mainly in bottle-format, while the magnums tend to come in threes of specific vintage, such as the ‘05 or 2010, or rarer, top vintages,” Foley added. Above that are large formats, ranging from Jeroboams up to Nebuchadnezzar, which are of the current 2025 vintage “so we’re selling it en primeur,” he said. “In those cases, they’re so rare that in the catalogue, we’ve written ‘one of two produced’ or ‘one of five’ produced and the client will be getting most of the production of those.” Erwan also agreed to bottle some magnums of Musigny, Foley added, “which he basically just doesn’t really do ever. So it really is a unicorn.”
Foley noted that while the market has slowed down in recent years, Burgundy continued to be “the value driver” particularly in the terms of Grand Crus and top Premier Crus, with clients looking “out for the most decent producers and the best vintages”. Wines being released directly from the domaine were prized, and in this case from a family-owned domaine, “which obviously, is a rarity these days.”
What the top layer of clients, the ‘uber collectors’ really want is old rarities. That’s the unicorn wine that people hunt for – and this is where this fantastic sale is great, because it goes back to 1908, then ventures into the teens, the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s onwards.”
Many of these wines on offer are from before plots were replanted in around 1945, he added, with the majority hailing from around Beaune, although there are also some Premier Crus from Nuits-Saint-Georges, where the domaine is based.
The sale also includes seven “Domain Faiveley experiences” lots, which range in estimate from £850-£1,100 to £6,500- £8,500.
Highlights of the sale include:
- Domaine Faiveley, Corton, Clos des Cortons Faiveley 2025, 1 Nebuchadnezzar (1500cl), Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru, 1 of 2 produced (Estimate: £8,500 – £11,000)
- Domaine Faiveley, Corton-Charlemagne 2025, 1 Nebuchadnezzar (1500cl) Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru, 1 of 2 produced (Estimate: £10,000 – £15,000)
- An exceptionally rare Domaine Faiveley, Musigny 1908, Côte de Nuits, Grand Cru (estimate: £7,500 – £9,500)
- Domaine Faiveley, Corton, Clos des Cortons Faiveley 1923, (75cl bottle) Côte de Beaune, Grand Cru, Estimate: (£1,500 – £2,000)
- 12 individual lots of: Domaine Faiveley, Bâtard-Montrachet ‘Vertical’ 2010 – 2016 (Estimate: £1,000 – £1,500)
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