Mâcon-Verzé 2024 by Domaine Leflaive: A Fresh, Mineral Chardonnay from the Verzé Valley

Tasting Notes and Characteristics of the 2024 Mâcon-Verzé from Domaine Leflaive

Tasting

Color

The wine shows a pale yellow color with bright, luminous highlights, typical of a young Chardonnay crafted to preserve freshness and purity.

Nose

The nose opens on white-fleshed fruit, citrus, and white flowers, underscored by a fine mineral note that recalls the limestone-rich soils of Verzé.

Palate

The palate is fresh, precise, and harmonious, carried by a lively tension and a fine acidity that give the wine great purity. The finish is long and saline, leaving a lasting mineral impression.

Food and wine pairings

Mâcon-Verzé 2024 pairs beautifully with delicate fish and shellfish, such as scallops or sole, as well as with white meats served in cream-based sauces. It is also a fine companion to goat cheese and firm, pressed cheeses.

Serving and cellaring

Mâcon-Verzé 2024 is best enjoyed at a serving temperature of around 10 to 12°C, which highlights its freshness, purity, and mineral character.

Other characteristics

This dry white wine reaches approximately 12.5% alcohol by volume, reflecting the cool, rainy nature of the 2024 growing season.

The Estate

Domaine Leflaive was built starting in 1910 by Joseph Leflaive in Puligny-Montrachet, in the heart of Burgundy. Today led by Brice de La Morandière, representing the fourth generation, the estate remains entirely family-owned. A pioneer of biodynamic farming since 1996, Domaine Leflaive is renowned for its grand cru and premier cru holdings in the Côte de Beaune, as well as for its vineyards in the Mâconnais, acquired in 2004 and immediately converted to biodynamic practices.

The Vineyard

The grapes for Mâcon-Verzé come from vines spread across several plots in the heart of the Verzé valley, exposed to the southeast and southwest. The clay-limestone soils vary in depth from one plot to another. The vineyard covers 25 hectares and 15 ares, planted exclusively with chardonnay vines dating from 1940 to 2023. The vines are farmed biodynamically, with grapes harvested by hand and sorted in the vineyard.

The Vintage

The 2024 growing season was marked by unusually heavy rainfall, with precipitation reaching one and a half times the usual amount between January and October. A cool spring, a humid flowering period that encouraged shatter, and persistent rain throughout the summer created strong pressure from mildew and slowed ripening considerably. September remained cool, wet, and stormy. As a result, the harvest was modest in volume, roughly half that of the generous 2023 vintage, though the grapes that were picked showed good health and sound ripeness.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for Mâcon-Verzé 2024 are pressed using a slow, gentle pneumatic cycle, followed by 24 hours of settling and racking. Fermentation takes place across a combination of vessels: primarily stainless steel tanks, complemented by wooden vats and 600-liter barrels, part of which are new. The wine is then aged on its lees for ten months in these fermentation vessels, followed by an additional six months in stainless steel tanks on fine lees. Fining is minimal and filtration, when needed, remains very light, preserving the wine's purity and precision.

Grape Varieties

100% chardonnay.