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Wine Description
The Story
The Grand Cru Chevalier Montrachet sits high on the hillside overlooking Le Montrachet, Bâtard Montrachet and the village of Puligny Montrachet far below.
As a leader of biodynamic viticulture, Domaine Leflaive is renowned for the attention to detail and care that goes in to nourishing each vine from ground to bottle. This organic method of cultivation enriches the soil with plant-based compounds, thus sparing the vines of harmful herbicides and allowing the wine to exude the particularities of the Puligny-Montrachet terroir.
Their Grand Cru wines have consistently scored highly with Wine Advocate, Neal Martin describes them as “wines with audacity and ambition.” Le Montrachet, Batard Montrachet, Bienvenue Batard Montrachet and Chevalier Montrachet dominate Wine Advocate’s top scorers from this domaine, all of which are produced in tiny quantities. It is also worth noting that Neal Martin flags up Domaine Leflaive’s ability to “transcend the limitations of the growing season” – so even in less than favourable vintages their wines are worthy of consideration.
For those looking for an accessible opportunity to taste the top quality white Burgundy produced by this domaine, their Bourgogne Blanc and Mâcon Verzé provide just that.
Domaine Leflaive’s wines age excellently. Allen Meadows has previously noted that one particular vintage of Le Montrachet “even at almost 20 years of age… is still cruising along like it was only 10 as the freshness of the aromas is uncanny.” To help judge when the wines are ready to drink, Domaine Leflaive’s website provides an excellent database of recommendations by wine and by vintage.
Sol argilo-calcaire: 3 parcels in the Chevalier-Montrachet appellation.
Chevalier du bas sud: 6.5 ouvrées (0.69 acre) planted in 1957 and 1958.
Chevalier du bas nord: 21 ouvrées (2.22 acres) planted in 1955, 1964 and 1980.
Chevalier du haut: 19 ouvrées (2.01 acres) planted in 1974.
Surface: 1ha 99a (4.92 acres).
Method of culture: Long, gentle pneumatic pressing, decanting over 24 hours, then racking and running into cask of the must.
Alcoholic fermentation in oak casks, 25% new (maxi 1/3 Vosges, mini 2/3 Allier).
Maturing: after 12 months in cask, the wine is aged 6 months in tank where it is prepared for bottling.
Homeopathic fining and very light filtering if necessary.
Biodynamic: Manual harvesting with grape sorting and optimisation of choice of date through parcel-by-parcel ripeness monitoring.
Vintage 2022
Bourgogne 2022: A generous and promising vintage
The 2022 vintage encapsulates what Bourgogne does best: Generosity and promise! After three years of quality without quantity, with yields impacted by weather events, it is certainly welcome, taking some of the pressure off sales and allowing stocks to be built back up. Despite some small disparities depending on the varietal, the vines stood up pretty well to some rather extreme weather and were able to take advantage of the slightest rainfall. As the wines begin the ageing process in cellars stacked up to three barrels high, winemakers and négociants are happy because the 2022 vintage is certain to seduce the palates of wine lovers around the world!
The weather this year was once again extreme, with frost, heatwaves, and drought. Budburst was later than in recent years, which helped protect the vines from April frost. Then, it was the subtle balance between vine and terroir that we can thank for the fact that despite this year's harvest being deprived of water and subjected to four separate heatwaves, it came through unscathed. This balance can be perceived in the musts which, by all accounts, have good degrees of potential alcohol. The wines are revealing quality, with nice concentration and fine balance. And it's a surprising vintage because although the weather was very hot, the wines are vivacious and offer aromas of fresh fruit; the promise of good things to come.
White wine
The whites are rounded, smooth, and complex. They are rich and very expressive, with fruity aromas. They are present without being overbearing. In the mouth, notes of fresh fruit and beautiful balance preserve the freshness.
Red wine
The reds are just embarking on the ageing process, and are showing lovely color, smoothness on the tongue, and good concentration. The structure is carried by soft tannins with a roundness coupled with a lovely density. They offer indulgent aromas of ripe red and black fruit.
