Domaine Leflaive 2008 Opening Offer

 

The 2008 Vintage

Request Form for the 2008 vintage

History

The Wines of Domaine Leflaive

The Vines

Harvesting and Vinification 

Domaine Leflaive Website

 

A Vintage Report 

 

Even for a team as gifted as Domaine Leflaive’s, 2008 threw up some real challenges. “If 2007 was hard in the vineyard but easy in the cellar, 2008 was hard in both!” admitted Antoine Lepetit, Assistant Manager at the Domaine.

The Domaine did not, of course, escape the wet, humid weather of the growing season and pre-emptive treatments were vital to escape the threat of vine maladies which came in waves throughout the summer months. However, the dedicated work and the health of the vines meant that when the fine weather eventually came, the estate was in pole position to take advantage of it.

Harvesting commenced on 22nd September in ideal conditions and was completed within a week across the entire estate. The team had already been through the vineyard, dropping any unclean or rotten fruit and with the table de trie also in use, only the finest berries ended up in the press. This strict selection, combined with the dessicating effects of the fine final fortnight of September has ensured the quality that ones expects of the Domaine but it has also ensured an overall drop in volumes by some 17% from 2007.

Stylistically, the Domaine sees elements of 2007 and 2006 in this new vintage, having some of the purity and minerality of the former but with the generosity of the latter. The malolactic fermentation has been particularly slow but there is no concern over this at the Domaine, as this experience was also encountered in 2004 and 1996, both of which are recognised as very fine vintages here. The one negative is that it has made the wines incredibly difficult to taste as even on our final visits in late October 2009, a number of cuvées were no more than half way through their ‘malos’. However, beneath the embryonic aromas, it is clear that the wines have depth, concentration, length and, especially at the top levels, an array of complex flavours locked in place in a ‘millefeuille’ structure that will slowly unravel with time.

The wines of the Domaine also contain a shimmering, vibrant and energetic quality that is only seen rarely, even at the very greatest estates. This speaks volumes of the health of the fruit and to the natural approach at the Domaine and this, coupled with the intuition of Anne-Claude Leflaive and the discipline at harvest time has meant that the new crop is of very fine quality. 2008 is another vintage in a long line of success and Leflaive indeed remains the benchmark for white burgundy.

 

All prices are per case as stated under bond in the UK. Orders will be subject to allocation. All requests for large formats must be received by 31st December. Wines will be shipped during 2010. For full terms and conditions, please click here.

If you would like any more advice or would like to discuss the wines, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0207 908 0660.

Offer commences 4th December 2009 

 

The 2008 Vintage Collection

Wines by allocation only

 

Bourgogne Blanc

£225.00 per 12 bottle

£235.00 per 6 magnums

Offering elegant floral notes, and the beginnings of small citrus fruits, such as mandarins on the nose. On the palate, the brisk acidity is immediately noticed but accompanied by a gliding, glossy texture. The transition to the finish is effortless and the aftertaste lingers impressively. Although refined and poised, this is also a strong and confident wine that fights far above its appellation level. Drink from 2011.- armit

Puligny Montrachet

£395.00 per 12 bottles

£405.00 per 6 magnums

Even with only 50% malo completed, this is already a very promising Puligny. Notes of almond and a touch of honey accompany the fruit, an appealing exotic and sweet side to counterbalance the acidic backbone running through the wine. With excellent weight of material, tangible energy and a sense of substance, this should turn out very well. Drink from 2012.- armit

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

£550.00 per 12 bottles

£560.00 per 6 magnums

Notes of preserved lemon, clementine and the beginnings of delicate spices on the nose. The attack is appealing and silky but with rigour and structure behind. The mid-palate is driven forward powerfully, accompanied by a seam of acidity but with an extra sense of opulence too. Drink from 2012..- armit

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatières

£445.00 per 6 bottles

£450.00 per 3 magnums

There is a smokiness on the nose here combined with crushed rock and powdered chalk, very much a wine of the soils from which it comes. On the palate, there is a gear change as the wine broadens out and shows far greater opulence than on the nose. A little sweetness on the attack and the glimpse of spice on the mid-palate add intrigue and allure to a wine which is otherwise firm with a taut acidic profile. Drink from 2013.- armit

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Combettes

£475.00 per 6 bottles

£480.00 per 3 magnums

The most backward wine in terms of its progress through malo but the hallmark combination of power with finesse is already in clear evidence. There is excellent depth of material and dense, tightly wound concentrated fruit with lifting acidity and abundant energy. Drink from 2013.- armit

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Pucelles

£495.00 per 6 bottles

£500.00 per 3 magnums

£335.00 per double magnum

Recently through malo, this Pucelles immediately shows the class of the Leflaive cellar, with raciness, lovely tension and lively energy. On the nose, floral perfumes combine with a flinty mineral edge and a core of white peach fruit. The textures show great finesse and the brisk acidity keeps the wine moving as you work it on the palate. A long, reverberating and intense finish completes a classy picture. Drink from 2014.- armit

Bienvenues Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru

£875.00 per 6 bottles

£880.00 per 3 magnums

£610.00 per double magnum

Already shows aromatic complexity on the nose, with stem ginger, cashew, white pepper, ripe yellow fruits and a lifted perfume. On the palate, the wine is nervy and with a more obvious mineral character with excellent presence. Tightly packed and layered, the acidity brings a prickly, tingling effect and the finish is precise, delineated and long. Drink from 2014.- armit

Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru

£975.00 per 6 bottles

£980.00 per 3 magnums

£670.00 per double magnum

With only 75% malo done when we tasted, this Bâtard is still a work in progress. Brooding and already rich and dense, this is ample in body and with considerable presence in the mouth but presently compact in aromatics on the nose. On the palate, there is the clear sense of a tightly coiled spring and a multi-dimensional, multi-layered structure and this will be fascinating to taste once malo is complete. Once again, the quality of the raw materials shines through and there is nothing to doubt that this will emerge totally triumphant. Drink from 2015.- armit

Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru

£1200.00 per 6 bottles

£1205.00 per 3 magnums

£820.00 per double magnum

As the malo completes, this is a wine emerging from its chrysalis ready to reveal its transformation into something truly beautiful and awe-inspiring. There is no simple ‘sweet and sexiness’ here- this is a wine of nobility and intrigue, very ethereal already and with deeply engrained minerality. Notes of crush stones, fresh flowers and pure, delicate, ripe citrus fruits, on the palate there is tension, nervosity and yet still the discretion. This is Chevalier as it should be, lofty and superior, bewitching and endlessly fascinating. Drink from 2015. - armit

 

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