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Olivier Leflaive

Olivier Leflaive was working with his uncle, Vincent, at the family domaine (Domaine Leflaive) when he decided to strike out on his own. The year was 1984, and Olivier, with help from Uncle Vincent and his brother Patrick, quickly established his own reputation. The two businesses are now quite distinct, although they both remain in family ownership. Vincent Leflaive died in 1993, and the firm passed to his daughter Anne-Claude and Olivier, but Olivier subsequently left to concentrate on his eponymous négociant business, which he manages to this day.

With the help of winemaker Jean-Marc Boillot, Olivier Leflaive produced wines of quality from the outset. In 1988 Franck Grux took over as winemaker and continues in this role today. Over the two decades quality has continued to improve, and Olivier Leflaive has established a reputation as a small négociant of high quality. Leflaive has expanded with the purchase of several vineyards, building up a range of domaine wines alongside the négoce bottlings. At the time of writing Olivier Leflaive owns 12 ha of vineyards in the following villages (as well as some basic Bourgogne Aligoté):

• village Puligny Montrachet
• village Chassagne-Montrachet (red & white)
• Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Les Chaumées
• Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Les Vergers
• Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Abbaye de Morgeot
• Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots

The négoce bottlings are made from a selection of appellations on the Cote d'Or and Cote Chalonnaise, the latter in particular offering a source of good value wines. Leflaive and Grux have built up long-term relationships with their growers which has no doubt had an effect on the potential quality of the finished wines. The vineyards are harvested entirely by hand. Fermentation is en barrique, followed by malolactic and subsequent batonnage every other week. There is an egg white fining before blending and bottling. Unsurprisingly many of the wines show barrel-ferment notes of butter and cashew nuts, but in my experience the use of oak has been judicious and these characteristics are always subtle. In my opinion they are of very good quality, especially when compared to the bottlings of other, much larger, négociants. (15/9/04)

Contact details:
Address: Place du Monument, 21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Telephone: +33 (0) 3 80 21 37 65
Fax: +33 (0) 3 80 21 33 94
Internet: www.olivier-leflaive.com

Olivier Leflaive - Tasting Notes

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Olivier Leflaive Montagny Premier Cru 2001: A pale golden colour. White fruit with a subtle, tropical, sweet edge and a trace of nuts. Good weight on entry, with pure, vibrant fruit. A slightly tropical character like that on the nose, with a fresh lemony note as well. As it opens out it offers richer, honeyed notes and a fuller mouthfeel as well. Firm, sharp acidity. This would do well over a couple of years in the cellar. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Olivier Leflaive Rully Les Clous 2001: A good colour here. Honeyed fruit on the nose, with notes of oatmeal and buttery pastry. A lovely weight, quite creamy, but with firm acidity backing it up. Really develops a rich, oatmealy, nutty presence through the midpalate, before a vibrant, fresh finish which caresses the mouth with notes of pineapple and lemon. A brilliant textural quality found only in Burgundy. Lovely, subtle grip too. Very good. 16+/20 (September 2004)

Olivier Leflaive Montagny Premier Cru 2000: A fairly pale golden hue. A lovely nose though, rich with cashew nuts, mealy oak and baked apples. Moderately rich, profoundly nutty palate, with some grip and fairly low acidity. Appealing note of bitterness on the finish. This has clear developed in comparison to the 2001. 16/20 (September 2004)

Olivier Leflaive Rully Les Clous 2000: A mid gold wine. An impressive nose, very open and showy, full of honey-soaked baklawa, butterscotch and nuts. Medium bodied palate, full of character like that on the nose. Mouthfilling texture and almost racy acidity. This, like the 2001, is splendid for the appellation. For current drinking. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Olivier Leflaive Meursault 1999: Another pale golden wine. The nose gives some hints of character, namely cashew nuts and mealy oak. There is much more richness on the palate, however, than is suggested by the nose. Full, textured, a little creamy. Plenty of roasted nut flavour, with soft but sufficient acidity. A nice, rounded fatness through onto the finish. 15.5/20 (September 2004)

Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet Les Houllieres 1999: Pale. Some cashew nut notes over some restrained white fruits. And some mealy oak as well. Elegant, restrained fruit on the palate, and nicely balanced. Just a hint of that oak. Should mature nicely over the next two to three years. 16/20 (September 2004)