Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Solène Panigai, 22 May 2024.
Olivier Leflaive
Place du Monument
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 95 27
www.olivier-leflaive.com
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More reports for Maison Olivier Leflaive.
Solène on reds of 2022:
“The 2022s all are bottled now – since January for the reds – the whites were done in March. It’s a vintage that towards the end of fermentations we could see the sunny style of the vintage but it just seemed to get fresher and fresher with elevage. The primary material was really great, so we just had to not mess it up !!”
The wines…
I was a little more excited by some of these 2022s before bottling but they remain tasty – if more overtly structural today – keep them in the cellar for a couple of years and you will still be rewarded…
2022 Bourgogne Rouge Cuvée Margot
Named after Olivier’s daughter. ‘Local grapes’ – a lot from Puligny some from Corpeau, Meursault and Volnay – a little wider too from Hautes Côtes, Chorey and Maranges – normally about 20 parcels, the grapes all mixed – only the Hautes Côtes has some separate elevage as it’s bought a week or two later.
Plenty of colour. A pretty nose – some high tones with a faint spice. Mouth-filling, slightly creamy flavoured – framed by a slightly grainy tannin and some fresh finishing bitters – keep it 2 years before attacking.
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses Rouge
2 parcels; Les Pins and from facing vines in Sous les Clous
An extra breadth of aroma – this time with a sweeter, riper profile to the fruit. Intense, broad – plenty of energy – a frame of tannin again but less grained. This is intense and energetic – I’d also keep it a year or more before attacking – but this has a tasty finish already.
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Les Fichots Rouge
Two parcels. Here the soil has a lot more clay content.
Deeper colour and a more overtly floral perfume too – nice. Supple but great shape – there’s architecture here. Just a little dryness creeping in in the tannin – but here less grained. Also a wine to wait for but with super extra dimensions of fresh flavour – wait 2-3 years…
2022 Santenay 1er Passetemps
A single parcel of about 40-year-old vines
A calmer width – more in the depth of this cushioned, almost textural, red fruit nose. Volume and fresh energy – here is a more fluid expression. Width beautifully precise fruit intensity and hardly any dryness of tannin. Clearly the most complete wine so far – it’s excellent !!
2022 Volnay
Three climats blended here – all from below the 1er crus.
Plenty of colour again. A narrower nose to start but with an airy quality to fruit and flowers over a little more density. Lovely texture and here a fluid energy to deliver flavour with a touch of cushion so there are no hard edges. Keep it a year – or two – but this is clearly the most accessible wine so far…
2022 Pommard
Like the Volnay, lower slope Pommard except for some grapes from Chanlins.
Depth and freshness – a very attractive aromatic invitation. Cool, wide, calm but fresh. Here is a depth of flavour – different in style, maybe calmer than the Volnay – darker fruited here too, almost licorice in style. I really love it – but be patient, 2 years as a starting point…
2022 Volnay 1er Champans
Practically 100-year-old vines.
A width of modestly perfumed freshness – but the main point is the width of concentrated darker red fruit – pretty and precise. Lovely texture – almost velour – deep – it seems both wide and direct – but not ’round.’ The finish, with a little structure that still resonates, slowly fading with a mouth-watering, higher-toned fruit. That’s very good !!
2022 Volnay 1er Clos des Angles
Part old, part young vines – a contract here since 1994.
Much more airy and overtly Volnay perfume – lovely. Supple, a mm of cushion to this concentrated flavour. Fresh, intense and finely boned – extra finesse. That’s a lovely wine – really lovely…
2022 Pommard 1er Les Epenots
From Grands Epenots.
Plenty of airy aromatic volume – darker fruit but with fruit freshness too. Really wide and actually less intense than I was expecting – this is a width of velvet flavour, slowly melting more mineral and dark fruit flavour over the palate, faintly spiced and complex. Proper, classy Epenots – That’s another super wine !!