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Wine Description
The Story
Domaine Leflaive is the very summit of white Burgundy, producing outstanding wines that have the capacity to be very long-lived and develop richness, depth, and complexity with bottle-age. The Domaine owns and tends almost 25 hectares of vineyards mainly located in and around Puligny-Montrachet. Their holdings include 0.08 hectares of Le Montrachet, 2 hectares of Chevalier-Montrachet, 1.91 hectares of Bâtard-Montrachet, 1.6 hectares of Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, and Puligny- Montrachet 1er Crus; Le Clavoillon, Les Combettes, Les Folatières, and Les Pucelles. Domaine Leflaive has been totally biodynamic since 1997. These are some of the most highly sought-after white wines in the world.
Origin / 4 parcels in the Bâtard-Montrachet appellation.
Bâtard 7: 7 ouvrées (0.74 acre) planted in 1974 (commune of Chassagne)
Bâtard 8: 8 ouvrées (0.85 acre) planted in 1979 (commune of Puligny)
Bâtard 9: 9 ouvrées (0.95 acre) planted in 1989 (commune of Chassagne)
Bâtard 21: 21 ouvrées (2.22 acres) planted half in 1962, half in 1964 (commune of Puligny).
Surface: 1ha 91a (4.72 acres).
Method of culture
Long, gentle pneumatic pressing, decanting over 24 hours, thenracking and running into cask of the must.
Alcoholic fermentation in oak casks, 25% new (maxi 1/2 Vosges,
mini 1/2 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
Wine Information
January saw several days of heavy frost towards the end of the month, within the context of a winter that was mild on the whole. With the start of spring and normal temperatures for the season, budburst occurred at the usual time.
The month of May was definitely a summery one, with temperatures 6°C higher than normal seasonal values. Vegetation proliferated, making the vines sensitive to mildew. Fortunately, the biodynamic programme established some years ago, vigilance, and regular vineyard treatments made it possible to curb this problem satisfactorily.
June was also hot, although much closer to normal. With scant rainfall, flowering took place early under very good conditions. July was not nearly as favourable: stormy with very little sunshine and 20 days of rainfall. Fortunately, by this time the vines were much less sensitive to inclement weather. Summer returned with August, including a heat wave during the second week. Ripening was off to a good start. September began on a cool note, warming up subsequently although with a few storms. On the whole, however, it was fine weather until the 25th, making it possible to harvest under good conditions from the 16th to the 23rd . The wines, made from well-ripened grapes, are elegant, with lovely fruity aromas. As maturing progresses, the solid palate is emerging increasingly, giving excellent overall balance.
The wines of the 2000 vintage will be ready for drinking at the earliest:
• From 2003 for the "Bourgogne blanc" and the Puligny-Montrachet Village wines
• From 2004 for the Clavoillon 1er cru
• From 2005 for the Folatières and Combettes 1ers crus
• From 2006 for the Pucelles 1er cru
• From 2007 for the grands crus. The wines should be opened for aeration a minimum of 3 hours before drinking.
