The Wines of Domaine Leflaive

There have been Leflaives in the region since 1580, but the first traces of Domaine Leflaive emerged when Claude Leflaive came to live in the domaine’s present buildings in 1717. At that time they had some 5 hectares of vines. The domaine itself was created by Anne-Claude’s grandfather Joseph, who came to Burgundy in 1905 after the failure of an unsuccessful business venture, and an adventurous life which included a period in Indochina, and being one of the engineers who built the first French submarine.

Over the next few years, with the price of vineyards at an historical low after the devastation caused by phylloxera, he was able to buy 25 hectares of vines and a number of buildings in Puligny. When Joseph died in 1953, the running of the domaine was taken on by his sons Joseph-Régis and Vincent. They did not live in Puligny, but visited regularly, particularly of course at harvest time.

The management of the domaine at this time was in the care of the great Burgundian vigneron François Virot, a man never seen without his beret and his pipe. His son Jean inherited the management; I knew him well and never saw him without his beret either. Only in 1977 was it decided to bottle the entire production of the domaine: previously some wine had been sold in cask.

In 1989 Pierre Morey, himself from a long line of famous winemakers, became régisseur and after some time abroad, Anne-Claude returned to take an active interest in the domaine. She took full control on the death of her father in 1993, since when the quality of the wines has improved consistently. With Pierre Morey, she inspired the important transition to biodynamism with the Domaine becoming 100% biodynamic in 1997/8. Upon his retirement in July 2008, Pierre was succeeded by Eric Rémy who had worked alongside him since 2003. Today, Anne-Claude remains at the helm and continues to guide the Domaine to ever greater success as it approaches its 300th anniversary in 2017.

“For years, the Leflaives have supplied their neighbours and the rest of the world with yardstick examples of what can be done with the raw materials of prime vineyard land and the Chardonnay grapes. The results are inspirational: premiers and grand crus of immense depth and concentration, raw power combined with great complexity, yet with that dimension of aristocratic breed which defies description.”

The Great Domaines of Burgandy, R.Norman/C. Taylor

“One of the greatest white wine Domaines in Burgundy.”

Clive Coates in Côte d’Or

“Anne-Claude is a woman of innovation, dynamism and great charm; these qualities are reflected in her wines.”

John Armit, armit wines

The Domaine has a tiny slither of Le Montrachet that totals 0.0821ha with vines planed in 1960. Arguably the rarest and most coveted white wine in the world, the Leflaive Montrachet has an almost mythical status due to its greatness and its rarity. One barrel is all that is produced, a mere 300 bottles on average each year to satisfy the desires of the world’s most demanding Burgundy lovers. Le Montrachet is, of course, the most famous vineyard in Burgundy, lying across the middle of the Grand Cru hillside, below Chevalier and above Bâtard, with quite deep soil containing a level of manganese which gives tremendous mineral complexity to the wine. Leflaive’s Montrachet should, without exception, be kept for a minimum of 15 years before drinking.

The Domaine has an important 2ha holding in this fabulous Grand Cru, split between three parcels, the oldest planted in 1954 and the youngest in 1980. At the top of the hillside, these vines are at an altitude of around 250m in very poor, chalky soil. The south-east exposure is superb: finesse and elegance are the hallmarks of this great vineyard.

Just under 2 hectares of Bâtard are held by the Domaine, two thirds on the Puligny side and one third on the Chassagne side and divided between 4 parcels. The vines age from 1962 with the youngest planted in 1989. Bâtard lies at the base of the Grand Cru hillside, where the soil is deeper than higher up the slope. On slightly heavier soil than Bienvenues, the wine is opulent and powerful, but always retains acidity to ensure harmony and balance. 25% new oak is the rule of thumb in the cellar.

A small enclave at the northern end of Bâtard Montrachet, the aeration of the soil is extremely important here to combat the higher humidity. The Domaine has a holding of 1.15ha in one block, with some of the oldest vines in the Domaine, planted in 1958 and 1959 which produce wine of tremendous finesse and length. Once again, 25% new oak is the standard practice for this cuvée.

‘The wine has a fatness, a honeyed or honeysuckle fragrance, and a certain delicacy: feminine where Chevalier is masculine.’

Clive Coates in Côte d’Or

The most northerly of the Premiers Crus, Combettes abuts Meursault and produces wines that are rounded and plump in style.

‘Les Combettes is ... a mouth-watering and deliciously elegant combination of Meursault and Puligny, with the steeliness of the latter and the honeysuckle and hazelnut of the former’.

Clive Coates in Côte D’Or

The closest in quality to Grand Cru of all the Premiers Crus, as the Pucelles vineyard is separated from the Grand Cru Bienvenues Bâtard Montrachet by nothing more than a narrow road. The wine is characterised by its complexity, finesse and length.

The highest of the Domaine’s Premier Cru vineyard sites, with very shallow, chalky soil. The wines of Folatières are remarkable for their great finesse and mineral structure.

A slightly lower-lying easterly continuation of Folatières with deep, though still stony, soil. Clavoillon gives density, depth and power, and in recent years has been producing wines of quite exceptional quality.

“Leflaive wines are infinitely seductive and enticingly drinkable when young. But do not be hasty. Given time they get even better, and they last for ages”.

Clive Coates in Côte D’Or.

Grapes from seven separate parcels of vines go into the village wine. The most important are Les Brelances and Les Tremblots and in total the parcels add up to 4.64ha. With vines on the Chassagne side of the village giving density and weight and those towards the Meursault side bringing minerality, together with the purity and floral qualities of those in the heart of the village, the combination produces a village wine of unusual complexity. The oak regime here is typically 15-20% new.

“Leflaive wines are infinitely seductive and enticingly drinkable when young. But do not be hasty. Given time they get even better, and they last for ages.”

Clive Coates in Côte D’Or.

There are two substantial parcels of vines in the Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc, totalling 3.24ha hectares. Both are within the village, behind the cuverie, although not entitled to the village appellation. The soil is deep, giving the wine richness and opulence and the quality is at a level far beyond the realms of generic white burgundy and indeed beyond the level of the vast majority of village wine too. The oak regime is typically 10-15% new. Generally drunk young, this is nonetheless a wine with considerable ageing potential, as so required.

“The wines are remarkably consistent and simply never disappoint. They are often exhilarating in their glorious display of power and elegance”.

Robert Parker Burgundy – A comprehensive Guide to the Producers, Appellations and Wines.

“In twenty years, Anne-Claude has pushed the boundaries further than many would have thought possible and, with a fine, settled team around her, she continues to produce a consistant stream of remarkable wines.”

The Great Domaines of Burgundy, R.Norman/C. Taylor

23 hectares. Average age of vines: 30 years

Anne-Claude believes that the health of the harvest determines the wines’ quality. Amongst the many factors at work are the use of compost, close pruning, de-budding and organic cultivation. There is huge respect here for Burgundian tradition and for taking as natural an approach as is possible. She is deeply concerned about the irreversible damage caused to the soil in Burgundy by fertilizers and pesticides and therefore follows organic methods. In 1990 she adopted the biodynamic methods inspired by Rudolf Steiner on a proportion of vines in different vineyards. This involves using diluted doses of plant-based compounds, in tune with the seasons and planetary movements, to treat the vines and soil. The effects of these treatments were immediately apparent in the vineyards, where the vines became demonstrably healthier, resulting in an obvious difference in the wines they produced. There was obvious human benefit too – members of the vineyard and winery teams also seemed to bristle with renewed health. As a result of such compelling evidence, she made the brave step to become completely biodynamic in 1998 and is regarded as a pioneer for the movement, inspiring countless winemakers around the world to consider and then adopt the biodynamic approach, turning their back on chemicals for good.

All the grapes are, of course, picked by hand by a group of 80 pickers, many of whom return year after year to be a part of the process of making some of the world’s greatest wines. The grapes are picked into small baskets and taken to the winery where they are transferred into a series of ‘vibrating bins’. These allow them to be passed on to the sorting table without any crushing or other damage, and here they are meticulously sorted by a highly experienced team of 8 who remove every grape that is not in absolutely perfect condition. The fruit is then pressed and the juice transferred to the winery, of which Clive Coates says, ‘… the Leflaive installation is spotless. This passion for cleanliness is no mere idiosyncratic fetish; it is emblematic of the Leflaive approach to wine-making’. The juice spends 12 hours at 7°C in stainless steel tanks to allow the ‘gross lees’ to settle, and is then decanted into barrels on its ‘fine lees’ where the natural yeasts allow the alcoholic fermentation to begin. New wood, which is selected individually to suit the characteristics of each vintage, never exceeds 25% for any of the wines, with the exception of Le Montrachet where annual production is only one barrel, and a new cask is used each year and only for the first 12 months. The lees are gently stirred from late in the alcoholic fermentation, between once and three times a week, until the malolactic fermentation begins. After a year in cask, the wines are racked into tank, often staying there for at least six months. The individual cuvées are then blended in tank and the wines are then given further time to settle before being prepared for bottling which generally takes place between February and May. Almost two years after the harvest, the wines are then ready to be shipped to eager customers around the world.

These are three consecutive vintages of contrasting style that all offer quite different aromatic and gustatory experiences. 2006 was a warm year with uneven weather patterns and for growers of Chardonnay in the Côte d’Or, it was a year where the picking date was absolutely crucial, as even a day or two’s delay resulted in an extra half degree of ripeness. Today, in their fifth year, the wines have matured well and are clearly ahead of the 2004 and 2005 vintages in their development. The top wines will continue to develop with aplomb over many years but at village level and indeed for most of the premier crus, they are currently so appealing that there seems little reason to resist the call of the corkscrew. Eric Rémy likens them to the 1992s, a vintage that produced beautiful, expressive, ripe white burgundies that have stood the test of time extraordinarily well, much better than the more lauded 1990s.

2007 by contrast was also an early-ripening year but in much cooler conditions. A wonderful early spring- barbecues were already in use in March- meant an early start to the vegetative cycle and the harvest date fell on 1^st September. However, the month of august was moyen, which is vigneron-speak for lousy. Suntan lotion sales were at an all time low and deckchair sales collapsed. However, the early start had meant that the vine was well on its way and sufficient, normal, undramatic conditions meant that maturity was reached slowly but surely. The 2007 Bourgogne is a total classic: clean as a whistle with excellent depth and focus, an amazing wine for its quality level.

2008 was also a mixed growing season but one that has turned out a fine set of wines in Burgundy which are much underestimated. It marks the first vintage for Anne-Claude’s newest project, Leflaive & Associés, a 100% biodynamic négoçiant through which she and her team work with owners of biodynamic vineyards, harvesting the grapes themselves and making the wine at the Domaine with the same love and care as for the fruits of their own vineyards. The Rully 1er cru blanc is an outstanding debut, already drinking very well but clearly a wine that will drink over the next 3-5 years without difficulty.

All wines are priced in bond UK cellars, currently lying in Puligny Montrachet with shipping to the UK anticipated in mid 2011. Wines are offered on a first come, first served basis subject to remaining unsold. E&OE.

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