The white Burgundies of Domaine Leflaive have achieved mythical status; they exist largely in the abstract for most wine lovers. Even those with the resources and access required to drink these wines don’t typically get to do so as often as they’d like, given the worldwide demand for them. I consider myself extremely lucky to have enjoyed my share of Leflaive over the years, and yet I’ve never been able to share a bottle with SommSelect subscribers—until today.
All the Leflaive wines are now painfully allocated, often in bottle quantities on cases. Like everything else they make, Leflaive’s Mâcon-Verzé has a cult following: in this case, a cult of people obsessed with aromatic and exceptionally pure Burgundy Chardonnay but unable (or unwilling) to pay three or four digits for it. Is this the most exceptional white Burgundy value around? I’d make a case for it, especially after tasting this 2017, which has a perfume I have trouble putting into words but displays the “Leflaive” fingerprint unequivocally. Somehow, they’ve managed to capture the high-toned and deeply complex white flower, hazelnut, and lime-blossom character of their trademark Puligny-Montrachets in a modestly priced wine from the Mâcon—where, since they acquired the vineyards in 2004, they’ve applied the same rigorous biodynamic farming methods the late Anne-Claude Leflaive championed up in Puligny. Dedicated Leflaive fans will notice that 2017 is the first vintage in which they’ve used vineyard designations in Mâcon, this bottle hailing from one of several
lieu-dits (named sites) they farm in Verzé: “Les Chênes.” It’s a rare treat for all the white Burgundy fanatics out there, so don’t miss out on the chance to take up to six bottles today.
The wine world lost one of its romantic heroes when Anne-Claude Leflaive passed away in 2015 at just 59 years old. A pioneering practitioner of biodynamic viticulture, she and her cousin, Olivier (who later left to focus on his négociant business) took over the family domaine in 1990. Her first order of business was to convert the estate's farming to biodynamics, and, as was noted in her New York Times obituary, she “…largely left the winemaking to others.” Her passion was vineyards, and conscientious land stewardship—in a region which, for all its storied history, had seen decades of chemical farming take a huge toll on the health of its soils. When she engineered the family’s expansion into the Mâconnais—where the opportunity to make more-affordable wines presented itself—the same farming practices were initiated there. Today the Mâcon vineyards are overseen by Paul de Noüe and winemaking by recently installed enologist Pierre Vincent. Brice de la Morandière, great-grandson of founder Joseph Leflaive, is the current head of the domaine.
Mâcon-Verzé is one of the more prestigious village-specific appellations (Mâcon-Villages) in this more southerly part of Burgundy, and perhaps not surprisingly, Leflaive’s interpretation has become its benchmark wine. You’ll note an extra “s” on this wine’s otherwise familiar-looking label (“Domaines Leflaive”), and as noted above, you’ll also see the vineyard name “Les Chênes,” one of five lieux-dits (named parcels) they farm in the commune of Verzé. These are all mature vineyards with an average vine age approaching 30 years, so there’s no shortage of depth to this 2017—yet even in the slightly warmer confines of Mâcon, where wines tend to skew a little chunkier in comparison to the Côte de Beaune, the Leflaive imprint is there. It’s a linearity, and precision, not often found in Mâcon whites.
“Les Chênes” is, like most of the Verzé vineyards, oriented to the west and has some altitude (300+ meters) and a steep pitch to it; it’s about three hectares in size and one of the more difficult vineyards to work, but the fruit is nevertheless hand-harvested. Verzé is a relatively cool valley in the northern Mâconnais, which certainly contributes to that above-mentioned “linearity.” This wine is mostly fermented and aged in a mix of steel and concrete tanks, though about 15% of this cuvée spent 18 months in used French oak barrels before bottling.
In the glass, the 2017 “Les Chênes” is a medium yellow-gold with hints of silver and green. The aromas scream “Leflaive” to me, although I struggle to define exactly what that is: It’s a lifted, floral, lime-scented take on Chardonnay, very pure and fine and closer to the green apple end of the Chardonnay spectrum, as opposed to yellow. There are highly aromatic notes of white peach, pear, dried white flowers, rising bread dough (thanks to regular lees-stirring), wet stones and a light kiss of sulfur which is typical of Leflaive. Medium- to medium-plus in body and possessed of Leflaive’s signature crystalline freshness, this is a really complete, well-proportioned Burgundy Chardonnay with aging potential—10 years at a minimum in my opinion, although with 30-45 minutes or so in a decanter you can most definitely enjoy a bottle now. Let it creep up past 50 degrees and throw it in a Burgundy stem—let it air out and pair it with some delicate poached chicken breasts for a pretty high-end combination at a reasonable price. I like the way that sounds!
