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Legendary California winery Williams Selyem will hand over control to a French producer

One of the most famous Pinot Noir producers from California is preparing to hand over control to one of the most famous Pinot Noir producers from France. On Wednesday, Williams Selyem Winery in Healdsburg announced that the Faiveley family, of Domaine Faiveley in France’s Burgundy region, has purchased a minority stake. A price was not disclosed.

John Dyson, who has owned Williams Selyem with wife Kathe Dyson since 1998, said the motivation for selling a stake was to secure a succession plan, since he and Kathe hope to retire in a few years. He called the partnership “a culmination of many, many years of looking for the right people to succeed us.” They had many interested parties, he said, but had some specific criteria.

“What I was looking for was a family, not a corporation, not a private equity group, both of which have done significant damage to brands of this quality in California,” Dyson said. “And preferably a family that knew something about Pinot Noir,” he added.

 

VINTAGE 2016 / The harvest in 2016 took place in excellent conditions and fermentations were rapid. The 2016 vintage is promising.

The 2016 weather conditions were challenging, the year divided into three distinct periods, all offset from a normal year.The winter was very mild. There were no full days in which temperatures stayed below zero as would be normal in Burgundy. Yet gradually, from early March, average temperatures cooled down, with high rainfall and early morning temperature nearing zero. 

 

On April 27, Puligny woke up wrapped in a large veil of white frost. Everyone here understood the catastrophe in the making. The rain of the evening before had brought high humidity which combined with temperature just below zero before dawn turned into fine crystals. The pure blue sky of the morning showing a beautiful sunrise quickly settled the disaster : the sun rays burned delicate young shoots on the twigs. In Puligny, the Grand crus concentrated most of the damage with some areas down 70% and even 90% in some areas like Le Montrachet.

The bad weather continued throughout the month of May and June. The rain never stopped, doubling the rainfall levels of previous years. The flower was rather late in June and disease set in with strong attacks of mildew attack strongly, especially in the lower lying areas, Bourgogne Blanc and Puligny Villages.

From mid-July the weather changed and hot weather set in for many weeks. Water reserves established during the spring allowed vine to grow steadily. There was almost a heat wave that lasted until early September and vine growth slowed. A salutary period of rain event occurred in mid-September and the vine sucked up sap.

The harvest began on September 21 under a sumptuous sky and in cool temperatures. If nothing could compensate for the damage caused by frost and mildew, where ever grapes remained, they are beautiful, fleshy, very healthy, especially in the first growths. Fermentations were fast and resulting in good balance with a nice mineral structure. This vintage has excellent quality potential.

 

 

 

The 2014 Vintage -wines are vibrant and show a nice minerality

The 2013-2014 was overall lukewarm with high rainfall until the first days of March. Spring was throughout a dry and sunny period. In this favourable weather, the bud burst started around March 25 and we started to wonder if 2014 would be another early year. April started equally dry but temperatures dropped mid month and until early may causing the vineyard to slowdown it's growth. Taking advantage of a summer-like May, the growth resumed it's vigor with the dry weather containing any excess. The first flowers are observed on May 22 and the full flower arriving on June 2nd and 3rd in a very warm environment.

June remained hot and dry and the vineyard develops at a fast pace. We are preparing actively for an early vintage. On June 28, all these favourable conditions came brutally to an end with a hail storm affecting mainly the top of the hill in the northern part of Puligny and more severely the winewards of Meursault, Monthélie, Volnay, Pommard, Beaune.July and early August are unusually humid and fresh for the season. The vine development slws down. Summer-like conditions resumed in the second part of August and became very favorable to a good maturation.

The harvest starts on September 10. The alcoholic fermentation proceed in a very conventional manner until November immediately followed by the malolactic fermentations. The last batch finished their fermentation in July. The 2014 wines are vibrant and show a nice minerality signing the best terroirs of Puligny.

 

 

 

 

THE RECORD-BREAKING LEGENDARY COLLECTION OF ROBERT CAINE
Zachys once again proved itself as the premier auction house for single owner collections on Friday, February 12, as The Legendary Collection of Robert Caine broke auction records for Coche-Dury and achieved monumental results. This extraordinary session was the second day of Zachys’ La Paulée Auction in conjunction with Daniel Johnnes’ La Paulée de New York, and Burgundy lovers from across the country and around the globe converged on New York City for the single greatest collection of Burgundy ever to come to auction. The Legendary Collection of Robert Caine was 100% sold and surpassed pre-sale estimates of $1,798,100-2,754,450 for a total of $3,486,434; combined with Thursday, February 10th’s session the two day auction totaled $6,208,752 (versus estimates of $3,489,750-5,343,550).

From Domaine Leflaive, the ultra-rare Montrachet drew heavy bidding interest. Highlights included:

 

• Lot 1269, 2 magnums (1.5L) Batard Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 1985
SOLD $7,865, estimate $3,000-4,600
• Lot 1271, 5 bottles Chevalier Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 1983
SOLD $5,808, estimate $2,000-3,200
• Lot 1279, 5 bottles Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 1991
SOLD $24,200, estimate $12,000-18,000
• Lot 1280, 2 bottles Montrachet Domaine Leflaive 1992
SOLD $13,310, estimate $5,000-8,500

 

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History

THE FOUNDING OF THE DOMAINE LEFLAIVE Joseph Leflaive (1870-1953) graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique at age 20. An engineer in the marine engineering corps, he participated in particular in the design and creation of the first French submarine. Then his marriage to Camille Béatrix du Villars, from the Dauphiné, changed his career. He ran the La Chaléassière metallurgical factory, at the same time looking after the family vines in Puligny-Montrachet. At the time, this was a viticultural inheritance that had suffered from the phylloxera crisis, was not very extensive, and whose products were sold to the region's wine merchants. Starting in 1920, Joseph Leflaive undertook a programme of replanting, extension and enhancement of the vineyard - with the help of his estate manager and friend François Virot (1890-1964). Together, they chose new rootstocks that were better adapted to each parcel of land. Joseph Leflaive gradually began selling his wine under his own label and to his private clientele.

 

THE SECOND GENERATION Upon the death of their father in 1953, four children (Anne, Jeanne, Jo and Vincent) chose to maintain the Domaine's unity, and in 1973 created a Société Civile d'Exploitation (SCE - an operating company). Once again, it was a question of careers arising around other activities that became committed to this passion, this ambition: to bring the Côte de Beaune's Chardonnay up to the highest rank of excellence. An insurance underwriter in Grenoble, Joseph (Jo) took over the Domaine's administrative and financial management, while Vincent, an HEC (grande école for management and business studies) graduate and an engineer in Ugine, took care of the vineyard, the wine and its commercialisation. A perfect team, which achieved an outstanding result. Domaine Leflaive became the standard metre of quality and acquired a reputation worldwide.

 

THE THIRD GENERATION In 1990, the family appointed Anne Claude, daughter of Vincent Leflaive, as joint manager with Olivier, son of Joseph. The new generation continued to benefit from the know-how of the previous one, thanks to the presence of Vincent on the Management Board until his death in 1993. The following year, Anne Claude was named manager, with the assistance of theManagement Board. The latter is currently made up of Emmanuel de Suremain (son of the niece of Anne Leflaive),Marilys de La Morandière (daughter of Jo Leflaive), Bernard de Noüe (son of Jeanne de Noüe, sister of Jo and Vincent) and Paul de Noüe (grand-son of Jeanne de Noüe). The twenty-first century will see the beginning of Act IV, Act V and - we hope -manymore of the same. Good blood and an excellent lineage will never be lacking in this family that so loves Burgundy's vines and wines

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Vineyards

GRAPE MAKES THE WINE At the Domaine, the health of the harvest determines the wine's quality. The spreading of compost, close pruning, de-budding and organic cultivation of the vine enable strict yield control. Vinification and raising of the wine are carried out with respect for Burgundian tradition: long natural fermentation in oak casks, and stirring of the lees up till winter. The pneumatic presses and air conditioning in the winery are the contributions of progress. Two winters in the cellar give the wine all the attributes necessary to "stand on both feet" once in bottle, to use a local expression.

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Winemaking

UNDER THE MASTER'S EYE François Virot was Domaine Leflaive’s estate manager for 40 years, followed by his son Jean – to whom he passed on all his savoir-faire and exceptional experience working with vines and wine. PierreMorey, also from a long line of great vignerons, succeeded him in 1989. Then Eric Remy took over the reins in 2008. All four have contributed their knowledge, experience and tasting finesse to the Domaine, at the end of long and perfect teamwork.

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Inside information

In 2008, Anne-Claude Leflaive, director of Domaine Leflaive in Burgundy, collaborated with six other highly respected Burgundy vintners to establish Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs in Puligny-Montrachet. With the goal of broadening wine professionals’ knowledge and understanding, Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs is an educational program that focuses of vine growing and winemaking using an ecological, environmental and humanistic approach.

The first school of its kind, Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs has been in the works since 2005 when the initial plans were formed. The origins of its inspiration, however, were much earlier. In 1991, Domaine Leflaive began experimenting with biodynamic farming, which initiated inquiries about its effectiveness and benefits. Rather than respond to every individual inquiry Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs provides a forum for biodynamic advocates to share their experiences with a broader audience.

Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs offers seminars ranging in duration from three hours to two days covering such broad subjects as winemaking techniques, biodynamic farming methods, wine tasting and botany. Each seminar is led by an expert in their field, including such luminaries as microbiologists Claude and Lydia Bourguignon, oenological revolutionary Bruno Quenioux, and terroir specialist Bruno Weiller.

Classes are held throughout the year. The seminars are divided into in French and English offerings and are limited to only 12 people, providing an intimate and personal experience.

Ecole du Vin et des Terroirs is a non-profit organization formed under the guidance of Anne-Claude Leflaive in collaboration with Michel Boss, Vinium; Pierre-Henri Gagey, Louis Jadot; Dominique Lafon, Domaine des Comtes Lafon; Jean-Marc Roulot,  Domaine Roulot; Aubert de Villaine, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti; and Antoine Lepetit, Domaine Leflaive.

 

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13 different wines with 154 vintages

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