Before the French Revolution, trade was organised by cooperatives and wine was sold by the intermediary of barrel makers and sworn wine brokers. These cooperatives had their headquarters in Beaune or Dijon and abided by very strict rules. The transportation of wine in barrels was carried out in very difficult conditions. It was only in Louis 14th's reign that Burgundy wines were to experience greater fame, from the moment when those high up in the King's court and foreign ambassadors in Paris started to take an interest. It was in this climate that Pierre Faiveley founded the business in 1825.
In the beginning of the 19th century, the transportation of Burgundy wines towards countries in Northern Europe began to develop, principally along rivers or canals. Thus, the Burgundy wine merchants started to visit these countries where they would exchange wine for textiles in particular. Joseph Faiveley was one of these travellers, exited by the discovery of new countries, but very Burgundian too. The Domain's reputation started to grow...
François Faiveley was not destined to be a winemaker. He was a brilliant student, who became a doctor at a very young age, before establishing himself in Nuits-Saint-Georges. We are at the end of the 19th century and the worst crisis that Burgundy has ever known appeared - the phylloxera. Seeing the domain disappearing, devastated by insects, he spent his whole life trying to save his vines. His devotion to the cause finished him off. He died young at the age of 59.
Georges Faiveley, a captain in the Great War, and a Verdun war hero, was without a doubt the artisan of the domain and the most hard-working promoter of Burgundy wines. When the great depression of 1929 crossed the Atlantic, the whole of Burgundy was in despair; the cellars were full, but the wines found no buyers. The oak barrels cost more than the wine in them.
François Faiveley took over the domain at the age of 25. He was able to give it a new boost – using a precursor of the sorting table and carrying out cold macerations for example. At the same age as his father, Erwan Faiveley took over the domain in 2007, becoming the seventh generation. On his arrival, he renewed and reinforced his team and invested in the winery and the vineyards. He brought new dynamics to the family business, while remaining faithful to his predecessors' values.