Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Franck Grux, 21 October 2021.
Olivier Leflaive
Place du Monument
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 95 27
www.olivier-leflaive.com
More reports for Maison Olivier Leflaive.
Franck on 2021:
“We can talk about 2021 next year but really it was about the sector, it was about when the grapes were pruned, it was about if you could protect with candles – economically or logistically. I won’t have hardly 50% of the volume of a normal vintage. The 2021s increased in prices by 30% across the board on the bulk market, except for Bourgogne Côte d’Or – which doubled! The prices have been driven the low volume, the scarcity…”
Franck on 2020:
“3.10 pH post malo – that’s comparable to 1996 and 2000. In 2020 I won’t say that there was a hydric stress but, here and there, the vines were definitely thirsty. So we generally see a bit more acidity – there’s not that much malic this vintage but plenty of tartaric. We had an August vintage and of grapes that were sufficiently ripe. We were careful with the pressing as we wanted to be careful with the acidity. I included plenty of lees in the elevage.”
The wines…
A seriously great set of wines from this producer. More or less finished depending on the cuvée – but here is ‘cut,’ definition and fluidity. Many great wines!
2020 Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles
Normally about 65 parcels, 65-70% in barrel. One of the few still in bulk, this cuvée with some purchases included. Filtered, assembled, with bottling from start November, a little more tank, less barrel used in this vintage.
A width of ripe lemon freshness – an impression of weight. Bright, direct, bubbling with energy and the accent of salinity is clear. Wide, waves of tasty mineral flavour – impressively long lasting for the label. That’s an excellent Sétilles.
Now some bottled wines – since August:
Bottled in August. From three parcels of vines.
A classic Montagny nose of freshness and slight sherbet. A little roundness but fresh and really delicious too with a great, widening, finish – that’s a great wine for the label.
2020 Montagny 1er Bonnevaux
Less obviously Montagny – it could be from many locations – slightly toasty, wider, structural. A hint of gas, rounder like the last, almost tannic, a small amount more considered in delivery and showing some mouth-watering minerality in the finish. This is still round, like the first, an extra salinity and an extra floral in the long finish – more serious but still fun – simply excellent!
Ooh – that’s a beauty – a deep, very faintly reductive, modestly perfumed nose. More concentration and more richness and silk. Alive, ripe but energetic. A finish that delivers long, long, long and in waves too… That’s a great wine for the price.
2020 St.Romain
From 4 sectors, 12.7° natural.
A more airy freshness of citrus to this nose. Nicely structural, not quite the richness of the Rully but still with some. Beautiful mouthwatering balance, almost a juiciness. Delicious finishing, almost in the zesty lime sector of citrus…
6-7 lots of vines, all on the side that’s next to Meursault
A floral accent to a mineral width of aroma – very attractive. In the mouth, I would think of Meursault with the finely divided, almost spicy complexity. Direct and intense in the finish… This is great, I’d be happy to have this as the house wine next year.
2020 Pernand-Vergelesses
2 parcels – Les Pins and Combottes
A faint whiff of reduction and then a more mineral character, less sweetness. Hmm, here’s good richness to the texture and depth of flavour too – that’s a great finish – vibrant, somehow darker agrume style fruit but vibrant and finishing dry, almost tannic. Needs a little patience but that’s going to be a top wine…
Here the nose is higher toned and faintly sweeter. A touch more gas – more width, melting wth flavour. Still the reductive style. Bravo finishing – ooh that’s explosive and great – you don’t often get that in a grand cru! Bravo!
2020 St.Aubin 1er Charmois
A round nose but also a less forward nose. Mouth-filling, round, a fine grain of both tannin and complexity. That’s another super finish, really holding so well
2020 St.Aubin 1er Chatenière
More ripeness, still yellow fruit, quite direct. A broader wine, plenty of freshness – really mouth-filling. Softer in style but then another great peacock’s tail of a finish. Too easy then brilliant!
Now wines sampled from tank. Racked and not fined for the following:
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet
Ooh – directly I like the energy and complexity of this wine – you have everything. Fresh, some weight, some minerality. Slowly releasing a long extract of flavour – you have to squeeze the flavour from your gums – long and tasty.
2020 Meursault
4 tanks of this – this is blend with 13-14 different parcels, mainly in the flats.
A more compact nose, but discernably of Meursault (with sight of the label!) In the mouth, this is all Meursault, a certain richness to the texture but no fat – layered delivery of delicious flavour with plenty of energy. Gingerbread in the flavour. The finish slowly turning more mineral in style. A calmer energy for sure but still plenty of acidity from the vintage. Excellent Meursault.
2020 Meursault Les Vireuils
This nose starting even more compact but there’s also a subtle white flower perfume. Some gas but there’s obviously much more energy here too the texture becoming finer as the gas fades. Really fine dimension of middle and finishing flavour – gorgeous flavour.
2020 Meursault Les Clous
A mix of dessus and dessous
Open, mineral, nobly reductive – that’s a great nose. Vibrant, complex – even better first impression than the last. The faintest of tannin, more than a suggestion of barrel cream, vibrantly long finishing flavour. Wait 2 or more years for the oak to fade but this is a super wine.
2020 Puligny-Montrachet
27-28 parcels is the normal blend here.
The nose is more compact again – but the purity is here with beautifully delivered flashes of citrus. Medium – mouth-filling, this a little more serious than the Meursaults today, structural though not hard. Great, complex finishing again – this needs patience, not for the oak, simply for the wine but it will be a really excellent villages.
Normally from 4 different parcels, vines abutting Bâtard and Bienvenues.
Also a nose that’s compact but showing some additional mineral style. Plenty of gas. There’s energy here, for sure. Slowly the wine’s coming into focus as the gas fades. Great finishing flavours – maybe the best yet. Probably a great villages!
2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champsgains
Only became a 1er in the 1950s
A little more open, this nose shows an attractively airy style that’s also faintly floral. Complex, delicious flavours, a bubbling style of delivery. More direct into the finish – here delicious if less explosive than some others. Here everything is impressive and clearly of 1er cru status. Delicious wine…
2020 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Referts
2 different old-vine parcels
A little more open again – this nose more minerally complex vs the florals of the last. Mouth-filling, a comfort to the texture yet still mineral and mouthwatering – again the burst of finishing flavour that recalls the Ensegnières – that’s really excellent! Better textured, better constructed and better finishing than the last.
Domaine – there are some vintages that this is absolutely great wine.
A much more open nose, more reductive today but a noble style if rather obvious. Bigger in the mouth, extra energy, really here is everything – sweeter too. Intense finishing, slowly delivering some floral notes rather than exploding with florals. Very long. Always one of my favourite wines here.
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
All three villages are represented here but the grapes are predominantly from Pernand in this vintage.
A width of aroma but much depth too – complex and mineral. A little less volume but a little more structural after the Abbaye – this wine clearly has a lot to offer but today it’s hiding a lot – great, great finishing again.
No new oak – all 1-year-old barrels
Not a forward nose but there’s much more on show than was the case for the Charlemagne – higher tones here. Volume – ooh – directly there’s clarity – clearly showing more flamboyantly and open than the Charlemagne. Fluidity then a really growing complexity of finishing flavour too – that’s great.
30% new oak
More aromatic depth but with a little reduction in this case. A hint of gas – more muscle but no fat. There’s energy in the Montrachets this year – much more than in 2019, Great, great finishing again – a slightly different character to the florals in this case – but seriously great again!