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Chevalier-Montrachet 2016

Domaine Leflaive, Burgundy, France

Domaine Leflaive
Burgundy France
  • 98
    Points
  • The 627 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 4 Pros of
    4 recommend
    this wine
100 98
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    531

  • Producer ranking ?

    11

  • Decanting time

    3h

  • When to drink

    now to 2035

  • Food Pairing

    Scampi and caviar toasts

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The 2016 Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru, like the other of Leflaive’s grand crus, was affected by the frost. This takes time to open but eventually reveals some lovely yellow flower, flint and oyster shell aromas that gain intensity with aeration. The palate is understated on the entry with a fine bead of acidity, but maybe the Batard-Montrachet demonstrated a little more drive and nervosite. There is something sedate about this Chevalier-Mont...

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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 herbicid...

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Wine Information

I tasted this time with director Brice de La Morandière along with new régisseur (estate manager) Pierre Vincent who was hired away from Domaine de la Vougeraie. They told me that 2016 "gave us a lot of difficulty with the frost and mildew but we managed reasonably well under the circumstances. While May and June weren't great, thereafter we enjoyed fine conditions that allowed the vines to bring the remaining fruit to excellent maturity. We c...

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Vintage 2016

2016 RED BURGUNDY VINTAGE REPORT

The 2016 harvest was, of course, later for Pinot Noir in the Côtes de Nuits, and some climats had different productions depending on how they weathered the frost of April 26th. In this report I will talk about each of the producers’ allocations to illustrate the variations between the totals from the 2015 and 2016 vintages. I will also seek to give you an idea of the style of the 2016 red wines versus those ...

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Latest Pro-tasting notes

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Written Notes

A cool and markedly restrained nose only grudgingly reveals its notes of mineral reduction, essence of Granny Smith apples, acacia blossom and a lovely array of spice elements. The tightly wound and almost painfully intense middle weight plus flavors are stony to the point that the palate feel is akin to rolling small pebbles around in the mouth, all wrapped in an explosively long finish. This is an aristocratic Chevalier that somehow manages to gracefully combine overt power and a taut muscularity with Zen-like harmony. This too is a definite 'wow' wine. 94-97 points


 I tasted this time with director Brice de La Morandière along with new régisseur (estate manager) Pierre Vincent who was hired away from Domaine de la Vougeraie (see below). They told me that 2016 "gave us a lot of difficulty with the frost and mildew but we managed reasonably well under the circumstances. While May and June weren't great, thereafter we enjoyed fine conditions that allowed the vines to bring the remaining fruit to excellent maturity. We chose to begin picking on the 21st of September and the happily the fruit was spotless so there was essentially almost no sorting required. The frost though cost us severely in terms of yield as they were off 50% overall but 75 to 80% in the grands crus, which is obviously painful for a variety of reasons. And of course there will be no Montrachet, at least not 100% from our owned vines. But the losses were markedly disparate because as hard hit as the grands crus were, yields were about normal in Blagny, Clavoillon and Folatières. As to the wines, they are impressively concentrated with excellent terroir transparency; indeed the word classic is a good descriptor.

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  • 97p

Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet 2016 98 points / Domaine Leflaive doesn’t show its Montrachet to visiting wine writers - and it didn't make any under its own label in 2016 - so this is nearly always my favourite wine to taste in the cellar. Reflecting its higher position on the slope, the resulting Grand Cru is very fresh, almost bracing, with notes of white pepper and lemon zest, stylish oak and amazing palate length. 2021-35

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  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Beaune, Burgundy

Other wines from this producer

Bâtard-Montrachet

Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet

Bourgogne Blanc

Corton-Charlemagne

Macon-Verze Les Chenes

Montrachet

Puligny Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes

Puligny-Montrachet, Clavoillon 1er Cru

Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres

Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles

Inside Information

Domaine Leflaive has long been an icon of white Burgundy and is globally recognised as the most famous estate in Puligny-Montrachet. Adored by Chardonnay connoisseurs, this family-owned winery is distinguished by the care they take throughout the vinification process. Wine Advocate’s Neil Martin put it exceptionally well when he said: “If you do not like Leflaive's wines, then you do not like white Burgundy.”

 

The winery was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “the greatest of all Puligny producers, the kind of wine that should be delivered by Grace Kelly.” And Robert Parker rates them as “Outstanding”, saying that they “set standards for white Burgundy that few other estates can approach” and that “their Puligny Premier Crus and Grands Crus combine richness and polish with depth and at times almost a lacy intricacy of flavour that can take a taster’s breath away. No one should pass up a chance to purchase villages Puligny or generic Bourgogne from this estate either, and even those are worth cellaring.”

 

In 1976, Leflaive’s Premier Cru wine Les Pucelles was chosen to compete in the renowned Judgement of Paris, one of only four French whites selected. Les Pucelles is a true testament to the producer’s transcendent craftsmanship and has also been welcomed at the prestigious Grand European Wine Jury of 1997 as well as the 1980 Great Chardonnay Showdown in Chicago.

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