The roots of the Leflaive family go back to 1717 when Claude Leflaive took up residence in Puligny-Montrachet, intent upon cultivating several acres of vineyards. The Domaine, in its present form, was created by Joseph Leflaive between the years of 1910-1930, as a result of his successive purchases of vineyards and houses. Domaine Leflaive has been entirely a family Domaine since its creation.

For Burgundy, the 2011 vintage was very difficult. A warm spring prompted an early budburst and May saw an equally early flowering. Although, early summer saw temperatures take a dip, a severe heatwave late June fried some of the crops and many grapes were lost to sunburn. Bizarrely, a big chill then set in July and a mid-month hailstorm decimated vineyards in the Côte de Beaune further cutting yields. Although the 2011 Burgundy vintage was far from perfect, some good wines were made and it generally was a better year for whites than reds.

The 2011 Montrachet Grand Cru from Leflaive shows great character and has kept beautifully, still young and vibrant with deep complexity. On the nose there’s pickled lemons, yellow apples, grapefruit, orange zest, cold butter, white pepper, and some funk reminding me of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
On the palate, there’s more creamy notes of butter, oak, and some very subtle vanilla. An array of citrus and acidic tropical fruits, starfruit, lychee, tangerine, cold green apples. As the wine aerates, more nutty flavors appear, like roasted almonds, walnuts, salted caramel, as well as a decent minerality.

The wine has an excellent mouthwatering acidity which is well integrated. full-bodied mouthfeel, good concentration, good length and long finish. A superb expression of both Domaine Leflaive and Puligny-Montrachet itself!
-RS