Cover Erwan Faiveley, the 45-year-old managing director of Domaine Faiveley in Burgundy
Erwan Faiveley, the 45-year-old managing director of Domaine Faiveley in Burgundy
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At 45, Erwan Faiveley has spent two decades leading one of Burgundy's most historic estates—not through expansion, but through careful curation. From organic certification to strategic investments in California, the seventh-generation vintner is proving that true leadership means preparing for the next 200 years, not just the next harvest
In Burgundy, big corporations are rare, leadership rarely announces itself. It is revealed slowly through restraint and continuity, with decisions made with the next generation in mind. Erwan Faiveley, seventh-generation owner of Domaine Faiveley, understands this intuitively.
We meet at Singapore’s The Fullerton Bay Hotel, where the 45-year-old managing director of Domaine Faiveley sits, dapper and quietly assured. He has already spent 20 years leading one of the region’s most historic family estates, assuming control at the relatively young age of 25.
The transition was unplanned. In 2004, his father, François Faiveley, then 54, chose to retire and relocate to Switzerland for economic reasons. The choice facing the family was pragmatic rather than romantic: appoint someone external or entrust the domaine to the next generation. Erwan stepped forward. Two decades later, his leadership offers a case study in modern stewardship.
Founded in 1825 by Pierre Faiveley, Domaine Faiveley celebrated its bicentenary last year. Today, it encompasses 134 hectares of vineyards, including 12 hectares of grand cru and 27 hectares of premier cru parcels, spread across the appellations of Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise. It is one of Burgundy’s largest family-owned estates, on a scale that demands structure, discipline and clarity of vision.
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Above Domaine Faiveley’s Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru and Corton Clos Des Cortons Faiveley
Domaine Faiveley’s Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru and Corton Clos Des Cortons Faiveley
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Erwan’s leadership style is defined less by expansion than by streamlining through careful curation of vineyards. “You cannot be everything,” he says simply. Early in his tenure, he moved away from the domaine’s former “one-stop shop” mentality. Wines once sourced from across Burgundy were gradually eliminated in favour of what the domaine best represents. Today, the portfolio has been reduced from 100 to 50. Fewer wines, greater focus.
On the infrastructure front, a new winery with a modern cellar was completed before COVID-19. The domaine is now building a new tasting room for visitors located across from the winery. The tasting room will allow Erwan to engage with the market not merely through tastings but to offer a narrative and context: history, terroir and continuity for all to understand.
Brand leadership at home has also become a strategic focus. Thirty percent of the domaine’s sales come from France. Erwan is candid in admitting that Faiveley’s image is stronger abroad. This year, his younger sister Eve—currently overseeing marketing and communications—will take charge of domestic sales. He is very excited about this development. Erwan shares that “sommeliers are always looking for something new—a new story to tell their customers, a unicorn.” Erwan feels that Eve will be able to connect with the French market, to share their family history with the sommeliers and to promote the Faiveley name with a personal touch.
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Above Nicola Lee and Erwan Faiveley
Nicola Lee and Erwan Faiveley
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Perhaps the clearest expression of Erwan’s leadership philosophy lies beyond Burgundy. In 2020, he acquired a minority stake in William Selyem Winery in Sonoma County, California, increasing it to 75 per cent in 2024. William Selyem, a cult winery that prides itself on producing handcrafted pinot noir, is consistently ranked on Wine Spectator's Top 100 List, reaching No. 4 in 2025. The partnership, with longtime family friends the Dyson family, was the result of more than a decade of searching.
Erwan speaks openly about profitability. American wineries, he notes, generate four to five times the returns of their Burgundian counterparts. While emotionally invested in Burgundy, he questions whether further land acquisition there makes financial sense at current prices. It is a pragmatic, unsentimental view— leadership rooted in practicality and reality rather than romance.
That pragmatism is balanced by deep respect for legacy. Erwan was never pressured to take over the family business; the decision was his own. Trained as an engineer and having worked in finance, he ultimately found wine to be the only vocation that truly engaged him. “You should only join a family business if you really want to,” he advises. Passion, not obligation, should be the guiding principle.
He shares how his life philosophy has changed over the years. Two decades ago, he thrived on international travel and customer engagement. Now, with two young children, aged 5 and 9, he prefers to stay at home. “The older you get,” he reflects, “the closer you get to nature.” He jokes that his friends now share gardening tips with each other, a far cry from their younger days. He believes in living near the vines. His family home is on the estate, allowing his children to be close to their heritage, to see, to breathe, to understand.
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Sustainability has become another marker of his long-term leadership. In 2025, Domaine Faiveley achieved 100 per cent organic certification across all its vineyards—not an easy feat given the geographic spread of the vineyards and tedious administration. The next challenge for Erwan is to reduce the carbon footprint. Lighter bottles, developed with glass producers, will reduce the weight of each bottle by 150 grams without changing the appearance. Erwan will test the bottles with the Bourgogne Rouge and Blanc 2024 vintage before what he hopes will be a full rollout.
When asked about his favourite vineyard, Erwan does not hesitate. The grand cru appellations of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, which sit on the Montagne de Corton. There is, he says, a magic that defies explanation. Faiveley’s east-facing parcels are amongst the most highly regarded, and those who understand Burgundy recognise their quality instinctively. He has compared Faiveley’s Corton-Charlemagne with the white wines from Montrachet and knows that he has gems that only the insiders know about.
For Erwan Faiveley, leadership is not about imprinting ego on an estate; this is clear during our hourlong conversation. It is about preparing the domaine for the next 200 years. His achievement has been to modernise without disruption, to refine without contraction, and to lead with passion.
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Nicola Lee, a graduate in Hospitality & Tourism Management, is the managing director of a property investment company. She is also a freelance wine and travel writer for The Singapore Business Times and Tatler Singapore, as well as a champagne enthusiast whose extensive collection has been featured on Channel NewsAsia’s ‘Remarkable Living (2019)’. A second-generation member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, she is an ambassador for the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in Singapore and academy chair (SEA South) for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
