Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet

Fast Facts

Commune : Puligny-Montrachet
Total area owned : 24.52 hectares
Grand Cru : Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet
Premier Cru : Le Clavoillon, Les Combettes, Les Folatieres, Les Pucelles
Grapes planted : Chardonnay
Owner : Anne-Claude Leflaive
Chevalier
Chevalier-Montrachet, grand cru
VintagePriceSizeBurghoundRobert ParkerLocation
1990 HK$ 9800 Bottle 91 Store
1992 HK$ 8680 Bottle 94 97 Store
1993 HK$ 4980 Bottle 94 Store
1997 HK$ 3280 Bottle 92 Store
2003 HK$ 2880 Bottle 90 Store
2004 HK$ 3680 Bottle 95 Store

Batard-Montrachet, grand cru
VintagePriceSizeBurghoundRobert ParkerLocation
1992 HK$ 7980 Bottle 97 Store
2002 HK$ 4580 Bottle 93 90 Store

Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, grand cru
VintagePriceSizeBurghoundRobert ParkerLocation
2001 HK$ 2480 Bottle 90 Store

Les Pucelles, premier cru
VintagePriceSizeBurghoundRobert ParkerLocation
2004 HK$ 1680 Bottle 93 Store
2006 HK$ 1480 Bottle 92 Store

Puligny-Montrachet, village
VintagePriceSizeBurghoundRobert ParkerLocation
1999 HK$ 788 Bottle 89 Store
2001 HK$ 788 Bottle 89 Store

More about Domaine Leflaive

Burgundy is quite simple. There are only 2 types of grape, pinot noir for red and chardonnay for white. There is no blending or mixing of different grape varietals. From this simple start, it becomes hopelessly complicated.

Tasting is the best way to get back to basics. To distill the very essence of white burgundy, one only has to taste the wine of the top domaine in Puligny-Montrachet. Puligny-Montrachet is “the greatest white wine commune on earth” according to Clive Coates, the burgundy specialist from England, and not many would dispute the statement. The most famous domaine in Puligny-Montrachet is Domaine Leflaive (started by Joseph Leflaive in 1905). By extrapolation, this makes their white burgundy the best of the best.

Compare to neighbouring white wine communes, Puligny-Montrachet is one of the smaller appellations. There are only 230 hectares of vineyards. However, of the 6 white wine grands crus in all of burgundy, 4 can be found in this area including the legendary Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. In addition, there are 26 premiers crus including Les Pucelles.

The commune of Puligny-Montrachet lie upslope from its village. The premiers crus and grands crus begin where the incline reaches 240 metres. It continues upwards until a height of 400 metres where the soil disappears. The 4 grands crus vineyards including Montrachet lie at 260 metres. This small patch of land is perfectly exposed, very well drained and protected from the wind. Les Pucelles is immediately upslope from these 4 grands crus vineyards. Given its location, Les Pucelles is considered the closest in quality to the grands crus of all the premiers crus. With the skills of Domaine Leflaive, they have fashioned a grands crus quality wine in Les Pucelles.

As with the best grands crus and premiers crus, the wines of Leflaive are built for aging. The conventional wisdom is that their Montrachet should be kept for a minimum of 15 years before drinking but only a measly 300 bottles (equal to a barrel) are made annually. No other estate had so much land at Chevalier (1.91 hectares), Batard (2 hectares) and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet. The wines of Leflaive are characterized by deep concentration, volume and power, but with riveting finesse.

Vinsionaire's Tip

Since Montrachet are ridiculously expensive and scarce, the best alternatives are the other three grand crus. However, Chevalier is better than Batard and Bienvenues. If there is no substantial difference in price, Chevalier should be the choice. For premier crus, Les Pucelles is a grand cru at premier cru prices. The village Puligny-Montrachet is an inexpensive way of experiencing the iconic Leflaive style.