Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Pierre Vincent, 15 May 2023.
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 but we had to re-arrange my visit a couple of times – though the eventual timing was good as the wines were ‘ready.’
Pierre on 2021:
“But we have only half the volume of 2020. Actually, it was half a harvest all the way from Mâcon to Chablis – not just here! All from Puligny will be bottled in the next few days – others have already been done. I said half a harvest, but in the early growing vines – Chevalier for example – it was 85% losses! The time in elevage was really important for this vintage – it’s surprised us with how well it has developed. It’s a year with such energy – but clearly with 2-3 clusters per vine instead of the usual 7 or so…“
Pierre, last year, on 2020:
“I see this as a vintage to fall in love with – and there was volume too – what’s not to like! 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…
Some exquisite wines but of such tiny volumes at the domaine this year – so it was good to see how they will round out their current offer with 2020 wines from their grape-contract suppliers. There are some highly attractive wines here but don’t hold your breath for any bargains!
DIAM seals here since the 2014 vintage.
2021 Mâcon-Verzé Le Montée
High and north-facing. 1ha of vines – lots of silex in this area.
Lovely freshness – north facing with plenty of silex. Supple, broadening – becoming vibrant – a little roundness but still with a growing tension – super. The finishing is simply excellent!
Representing about 2ha of vines dotted around the rock of Solutre.
A narrower, finer nose – that’s got a super delicacy. Mouth-filling, more overtly mineral – juicy, complex – tension again – that’s really a top wine with waves of finishing flavour – top intensity. Bravo!
4.6 ha from around the village. This already in bottle for 3 weeks.
A calmer nose with a faint extra, floral, sweetness. Properly structured though. – vibrant and delicious. Super wine, really a top villages. Broad and super long finishing.
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clavoillon
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… Bottling will be in 3-4 weeks.
A deeper nose – edged with a nutty reduction. The intensity is higher here – the minerality too. More muscle but sleek and ultra-long finishing. A beauty!
From two parcels, just above Clos de la Garenne, usually the first harvested as this is a hotter location.
More open, broader aromatics – floral with no reduction. Vibrations, energetic but still delicate precisions – that’s a truly great wine. 80% losses – but Bravo!
‘Half as harvest here – but that’s double our yield from Folatières!’
More direct, similarly vibrant less open with a touch of reduction today. More vibrant energy – ooh that’s going to be something special – such an agrume complexity delivered with dynamism – great wine in the making!
A toasty reduction here that’s so very impressively inviting – yellow citrus, fruit too. Like the Pucelles but with an obvious extra depth to the flavour – a more relaxed impression but achingly wonderful flavour too. Absolutely gorgeous wine…
From the middle of the first terrace above Montrachet
The typical extra mineral width – the vibrations of Chevalier from here. Impact and scale – less generous – of course – than the Bâtard today. But a shape and haunting flavour that impresses so much – of course the finish too – here this bests the Bâtard another great wine though if I could take only one, on this showing I might save a few cents and take the Bâtard!
Esprit Leflaive
Pierre:
“Yes, these are contracts – but we do the harvesting and we know the producers very well. We always choose to show these wines a year later than those of the domaine, so today, it’s the 2020s…”
2020 Chablis 1er Fourchaume
80% concrete egg elevage plus a demi-muid.
A rounder sweetness of fruit – maybe a suggestion of asparagus. Some generosity of flavour here – a little asparagus again – not the outright pyrazine-green of many in the vintage – but it’s there…
2020 St.Romain Sous la Velle
Hmm – now that’s a very attractive yellow fruit – with energy too. I really love its shape and energy – the structure of this! There’s a little sweet oak too but this is delicious, excellent wine – so good!
Direct, pure, hints of high-toned florals. There is muscle here but such long, unwinding flavours too. A wine that is a little tight today but with shape and purity to die for – it is a great wine – it could also be great Charlemagne!
Les Reds:
Of course, Pierre likes his reds – as you see from the portrait photo of him 🙂
Half whole cluster – and this is a very perfumed wine. Broad, vibrant, red fruit. A wine that’s supple but with super clarity – almost to the level of a 21 but certainly a top 2020!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin
From Craitte Paille – the largest red cuvée with 1 ha. There are two harvests, as part of the vines are on clay another part on limestone – again with 50% whole-clusters.
A sauvage but still perfumed nose. An extra depth to the flavour too – the shape showing more structure – more peppery flavoured too. Ooh – that’s a simply wonderful, complex wine – not easy fruit today but a wine that holds your attention with its complexity.
2020 Corton Les Grand Lolières
A vineyard that has 65-year-old vines worked in biodynamics.
Rounder, a hint of chocolate to this pure dark cherry nose. Structure, very faint tannin in support – an easy of flavour – a calming wine yet one of purity and good energy too.