Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Eric Remy plus stageurs Jean-Baptiste and Sophie, 20 October, 2016.
Domaine Leflaive
Place Pasquier de la Fontaine
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 30 13
www.leflaive.fr
The domaine is 24 hectares today. In 2010, 1.3 hectares were ceded to Olivier Leflaive – and it was a nice 1.3 hectares; Meursault-Blagny, Pucelles, Folatières, Bâtard and Chevalier. Since then the domaine has planted an extra hectare (plus) of Bourgogne.
Eric on 2016:
“We started our harvest on the 21st of September. It was a warm vintage, but not like 2015; very heterogeneous, correct, positive but the issue is the quantity – it was the grand crus and the bourgogne that got most hit – only 15 hl/ha in the grand crus, 1.25 hectares of Montrachet delivered only about 2.5 barrels. Mildew brought the biggest loss for the Bourgogne. We managed to get 35 hl/ha in Pucelles, but the others less. Combettes was a little more than last vintages. The villages was not bad, but overall it’s half a harvest – but with a good quality of grapes and the fermentations look fine.”
Eric on 2015:
“The start of the growing season was pretty wet, but vine growth started quite early, though not too fast. This reserve of water was helpful given the summer to come. Flowering done by start of June – the vines suffered more in Mâcon as they had much less rain. Of course we had very good maturity – even starting the harvest on the 28 August – a full 15 days earlier than flowering suggested. We started slowly with villages, overall the harvest took about 8 days; hardly any trie and no chaptalisation as we saw up to 13.2 in grand crus whilst retaining an interesting acidity.”
The wines…
Some of these wines need more time, others are already fabulous. Only the Bourgogne showed a little acid-shy today.
One big piece of news here is that from the last (2014) vintage, they have changed everything to DIAM seals here. To my mind, that’s a positive step as there have been some oxidation problems here over the last 10 years-plus.
2015 Bourgogne
Always two parcels vinified separately, but then assembled when racked into tank for the second part of the wine’s elevage. Actually a small 0.04 ha parcel of vines is on its own roots too. Average 45 hl/ha
An open faint herb and lime – tasty impression. Super texture, there’s concentration here and a good growing intensity – the acidity seems understated today. But really this is generous and tasty. Nicely finishing too. Tasty wine.
A bigger nose, much more demonstrative, again some herb but really inviting too. More gas, but really a fine energy and balance here – this has lots of flavour dimension and fine complexity Super, a big step up I think!
From vines planted in 2004 and 1995.
A ,ore agrume, ginger nose – very attractive. Again gas, but here classic Meursault flavours and fine avidity, bigger finishing – just beautiful – another big step up. Love.
2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clavoillon
Leflaive have a virtual monopoly of this large climat, as such it serves as their ‘laboratory’ a place where they try different treatment regimes, different pruning et-cetera.
A more compact nose, with some faint agrume minerality. Here a wine of clear and clean minerality – then a little jump in intensity – slowly fading. More mineral, a hint more modest finishing but very fine… A long line of flavour, rather than open-ended like the Meursault.
2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
A more open nose, floral and mineral together. Weighty, fine textured, layered flavour here, super flavour too, expressive in the finish, layers and wide. Really super. A subdued but not short, finish. Yum!
A super nose, fresh and mineral, faint agrume but nothing faint about the invitation to taste. A little gas, but lots of energy, super balance and an ingraining fresh complexity – a super muscled but not fat wine. Excellent… almost a phenolic tannin on the gums – yes!
2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles
A more compact nose, but with some weight – slowly adding higher toned agrumes and a floral dimension. A steely wine, more growing intensity, a faint salinity, tight wound muscle and mineral length define this wine today. Lots to hope for…
Not initially deep, but a super width of flowers and cushioned fruit – though not obviously oaked. The feeling but not the taste of oak. Wow – what dimension of flavour, very fine freshness – really great wine here – gorgeous mouth-watering flavour. Wide waves of finishing flavour – it seems to me a big step up from the Pucelles today!
2015 Bâtard-Montrachet
A deeper minerality to this nose, plenty of agrumes here. A little gas. There is volume but without obvious density. Layered and complex, really super, super wine, perhaps more mineral than the last and certainly more contemplative, but today I’d much prefer to drink the Bienvenues. Today, this is about elegance, and very fine it is…
Wow fruit – agrumes with an extra dose of mandarin, slowly adding a wider mineral base – special! More modest starting in the mouth, but opening wider and with a very fine minerality and growing complexity – this is a super citrus wine, with the fruit ahead of the minerality today – but in 20 years? Excellent!