Domaine Leflaive Montrachet Grand Cru 2006

DOMAINE LEFLAIVE

Joseph Leflaive 1950

Domaine Leflaive is one of the most famous wine estates in Burgundy. The estate is located in the municipality of Puligny-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune. The domaine’s white wines are sought after worldwide. The estate has 5.1 hectares in the Grand Cru vineyards around Puligny alone.

A Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Pucelles was presented at the Paris Wine Jury.

The history

The name Leflaive can be traced back to the 16th century in Burgundy. The first evidence of viticulture dates back to 1717 and the owner at the time was Claude Leflaive. The vineyard developed well, but the estate was largely broken up over time due to the customary succession in Burgundy.

Joseph Leflaive (1870-1953) eventually inherited just 2 hectares. Initially, he paid little attention to viticulture and pursued a career in shipbuilding. He became plant manager in Saint-Étienne and was also involved in the construction of France’s first submarine. However, Leflaive kept a close eye on the wine market in Burgundy and, from 1905 onwards, bought plots of vines that had become available due to the phylloxera catastrophe and the subsequent fungal diseases (powdery mildew, downy mildew) at very low prices. In total, Joseph expanded his vineyard to 25 hectares.

In 1920, Joseph Leflaive started a broad-based programme with noble vines grafted onto rootstocks. He also began marketing his wines himself, which he had previously sold to the local trade. After Joseph Leflaive’s death in 1953, Domaine Leflaive was run by his sons Vincent Leflaive and Jo Leflaive. The brothers were responsible for taking the estate to the top of the Côte de Beaune. In 1973, the estate was transformed into a company to prevent fragmentation through inheritance. The family still owns the operating company.

In 1990, Vincent’s daughter Anne-Claude Leflaive (1956-2015) and her cousin Olivier Leflaive took over the management of the estate. As Olivier also runs a wine trading company, Anne-Claude took over the day-to-day management of Domaine Leflaive following a decision by the family council.Since 1997 , the products have been produced according to the rules of biodynamic agriculture

The vineyards

Grand Cru vineyards:

Montrachet: 0.0821 hectares

Chevalier-Montrachet: 1.99 hectares

Bâtard-Montrachet: 1.91 hectares

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet: just over 1.15 hectares

Premier Cru sites:

In Puligny-Montrachet: Les Pucelles, Folatières, Les Combettes and Le Clavoillon

In Meursault: sous le Dos d’Âne

Village wines :

In Puligny-Montrachet, a total of 7 parcels ( calledclimatin Burgundy ) with a total area of 4.64 hectares

Regional appellation ( marketed as Bourgogne blanc ), 2 parcels with 3.24 hectares of vines

Montrachet Grand Cru (or Le Montrachet) is a vineyard classified as a Grand Cru on the Côte d’Or in French Burgundy. It is located in the municipalities of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune. The Montrachet vineyard has had its own appellation since 31 July 1937 and is one of the smaller appellations in France with an area of 7.9980 hectares. Only white wine is produced here . Of this, 4.0107 hectares are located in the commune of Puligny; the remaining 3.9873 hectares belong to the commune of Chassagne. The wines from the predominantly south-facing vineyards of Chassagne have a reputation for being more powerful and full-bodied, while those from Puligny are finer and more elegant.

The site has been known since the 13th century and was successively known as Mons Rachicencis, Mont Rachaz, Mont Rachat and from the 15th century as Montrachat. Alexandre Dumas the Elder is reputed to have said that the wine from Montrachet should be drunk on one’s knees with one’s hat on.

In general, Montrachet wines are among the most expensive white wines in the world.

The white wines from the Grand Cru vineyard are made from the Chardonnay grape variety. The natural alcohol content of the white wines must be at least 12% by volume; chaptalisation is permitted – as everywhere in Burgundy. The minimummust weight is 187 g/litre. The basic yield is 40 hectolitres per hectare, which may be exceeded by a maximum of 20%.

Professional ratings

Frank Ward:

The (2006) Montrachet Grand Cru Leflaive wine has a perfect appearance: shiny white gold with a green hue. The nose is perfectly concentrated, reminiscent of apricot, kale and honey, with a hint of melon. In the mouth, a flavour of great richness and fullness, with pronounced terroir characteristics and fine minerality. Highly viscous, but not exaggerated, it envelops the mouth with fully ripe Chardonnay fruit full of vigour and richness. The aftertaste is extremely long and multi-faceted, but not yet in full swing – you can sense further, pent-up nuances still waiting to reveal themselves. Just as you knew early on that Michelangelo’s “David” was a masterpiece, you know that this magnificent and immensely complex wine will be a vinous monument when time has worked outall the details.

The Montrachet Grand Cru from the renowned Domaine Leflaive 2006 is an exceptional white wine that reflects the grandeur and complexity of the Burgundian terroir in every bottle. This noble Chardonnay grows on the steep, chalky slopes of the famous Montrachet, one of the most sought-after Grand Crus of the Côte de Beaune.