Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Pierre Vincent, 31 January 2022.
Domaine Leflaive
Place Pasquier de la Fontaine
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 30 13
www.leflaive.fr
Other reports with Domaine Leflaive.
January seems to be the preferred date now for the domaine when looking at their new vintage.
Pierre on 2020:
“Nothing will be bottled before the end of March. I see this as a vintage to fall in love with – and there was volume too – what’s not to like! But we have only half this volume in 2021… We started our harvest 20 August and we were finished in August too but we had to check maturity every day as that maturity was all over the place. It wasn’t too hot so we only harvested between 13-13.5°“
The wines…
There is no ‘better’ range of wines to be found in 2020 – bravo!
(No wonder Pierre looks so happy!)
DIAM seals here since the 2014 vintage.
Three large parcels bringing 4 hectares, all in the commune of Puligny. 10% new oak.
Here’s a nice width a freshness, a little citrus zest aroma contributing. Vibrant, mineral, thats a great bourgogne, beautiful and intense finishing.
4.6 ha from around the village.
Extra drive and direction – this is super. Here it’s the structure that’s more visible – chiselled but never hard. Thats very impressive, just a faint softening of the edges great finishing
From vines planted in 2004 and 1995 – the barrels are large-format – mainly 400-litres.
More airy, faintly reductive but alive. Vibrant, dynamic citrus. Super saline finishing – a great finish again
This vineyard was planted to red in the early 1900s. Today Leflaive has a virtual monopoly of this large climat, as such it serves as their ‘laboratory’ a place where they try different treatment regimes, different pruning etcetera. It’s the biggest parcel of the domaine at 4.8 ha. The Chavy family have about 1 ha and together that’s most of the vineyard…
Ooh – a great nose that’s fuller and again with citrus zest, this time rounded with a little oak. Super-mineral, extra intensity in the finishing flavours too. Wait for the oak to fade but this is one of the greatest Clavoillons I think.
From two parcels, just above Clos de la Garenne, usually the first harvested as this is a hotter location.
More airy, a slight reduction faintly floral. Extra clarity and minerality – much wider. A beautiful extra finishing direction, again with a saline complexity – such clarity here!
2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Combettes
At the limit of Puligny next to Meursault Charmes though these vines are not on the edge of the vineyard.
A little hint of softness to fine citrus zest. Wide, intense, a cushioned minerality. Slowly vibrant, a little extra richness of flavour vs the previous wines – but what richness, what power. This you can chew in the finish!
This nose is airy but less ready. Like the nose, this has an airy, fluid, mouth-filling style but without density. Wow wine! – Don’t come here for density, come here for engagement…
Also an airy nose but so inviting, accented with winks and hints of pleasure. Extra mineral, extra direct, less gorgeous today than Pucelles in the middle flavours but still gorgeous. Beautifully finishing again. Another great wine, showing just another level of initial attack.
A more compact yet deeper nose, slowly opening with complex florals. The Bienvenues was direct, this has width and cushioned minerality; gorgeous, gorgeous, then a reprise of flavour – all is a little ‘plus’ vs the last but the purity is more evident in the starting flavours of the last two.
From the middle of the first terrace above Montrachet
Hmm. Such a great nose of vibrant citrus zest. Yes! – incisive, clarity, authority, focus and intensity – there’s even a modest cushion. Here is everything, except, perhaps, in the finish which is narrower than the previous wines but still completely haunting.