| Region of production: | Côte de Beaune |
| Winery Location: | Puligny-Montrachet |
| Year Established: | 1717 |
Vineyard Holdings
24.5 ha
- Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.08 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1960
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru: 1.99 ha Chardonnay, planted in the 1950s, 1964, 1974 and 1980
- Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 1.91 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1962, 1964, 1974, 1979 and 1989
- Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 1.15 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1958 and 1959
- Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles Premier Cru: 3.06 ha Chardonnay across three parcels, planted from 1954-1985
- Puligny-Montrachet Combettes Premier Cru: 0.73 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1963 and 1972
- Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru: 1.26 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1962, 1969, 1983 and 1999
- Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon Premier Cru: 4.79 ha Chardonnay from one large parcel, planted from 1958-1988
- Meursault Sous le Dos d’Ane Premier Cru: 0.54 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Montrachet Grand Cru: Inaugural vintage 1991.
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles Premier Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Combettes Premier Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon Premier Cru
Average Total Production
- 120,000 bottles
Summary
It’s difficult to argue with the assertion that Domaine Leflaive owns the greatest collection of Chardonnay-producing vineyards in the Côte d’Or. While the domaine’s history can be traced back to Claude Leflaive in 1717, it was Joseph Leflaive in 1905 who began to construct the modern version of the estate, expanding holdings from two to 25 hectares.
Next in line was Joseph’s son, Vincent (who snapped up the small Montrachet parcel), followed in 1991 by Vincent’s daughter, Anne-Claude, along with her cousin, Olivier. Olivier left to focus on his own négociant label in 1993, while Anne-Claude began experimenting with biodynamic farming of the estate’s vineyards. She began with a small parcel of Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet that was slated to be pulled out due to fan-leaf virus. When those vines responded well, her biodynamic experiments were expanded to several other parcels in Puligny-Montrachet. By 1997, after several years of fastidious, side-by-side comparisons of soil ecology, vine health and wine quality comparing biodynamic, organic and conventionally-farmed parcels, the entire estate was converted to biodynamic viticulture. Anne-Claude passed away in 2015, ans is succeded by Brice de La Morandiere’s, her nephew and great grand son of Joseph Leflaive, with winemaking being managed by Eric Rémy, who took over for the retired Pierre Morey in 2008.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Currently, Leflaive produces only white wines. Healthy fruit is of the utmost importance for the domaine, so the grapes are sorted in both the vineyard and the winery prior to pressing. The juice is settled for 12-24 hours before being racked to oak for fermentation and aging, and the percentage of new oak used is on the low side: up to 10% new for the Bourgogne, 25% for the premiers crus and 30% for the grands crus—except the Montrachet, which is usually aged in a single new barrel, often specially coopered to accommodate the precise size of the harvest. Neither primary nor secondary fermentation are inoculated, and bâtonnage is currently practiced with less frequency than in the past (it’s now stopped completely by Christmas). The wines are racked to stainless steel after 16 months, then lightly fined and filtered if necessary and bottled by gravity.
Producer Website: Leflaive