Domaine Leflaive : Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru "Clavoillon" 2017

A Complex and Fruit-Forward Chardonnay by Domaine Leflaive

Domaine Leflaive encompasses 44 hectares of vines across the appellations of Puligny Montrachet, Macon Verze and Solutre-Pouilly. With 4.8 hectares of Grand Crus and 10.8 hectares of Premier Crus, Domaine Leflaive is a benchmark producer for white Burgundy. The Leflaive family has been established in viticulture since 1717, and in 1920 they began bottling wines under their own label. Joseph Leflaive expanded the domaine’s property in the aftermath of the phylloxera epidemic, when many landowners were selling land. He replanted phylloxera-stricken land with American rootstock and grafted with exclusively Chardonnay vines. In 1996, third generation co-owner Anne-Claude Leflaive helped convert the estate to biodynamic farming. Through her dedication and passion for nature, terroir and the purity of vineyard soils, Anne-Claude and Domaine Leflaive became pioneers of biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy.

Puligny-Montrachet is both a village and appellation in Cote de Beaune, home to four Grand Cru and 17 Premier Cru vineyards. While a small amount of Pinot Noir is made in this area, Puligny Montrachet is known for its exceptional terroir creating a distinctive, high-quality Chardonnay. The soils are limestone, rich with calcareous clay, and the best vineyards sit mid-slope allowing for great drainage. Wines of Puligny Montrachet have a mineral backbone and a rounder structure compared to its neighboring villages.

The Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 2017 is a lush and complex wine. Chardonnay grapes that go into this wine are hand-picked from a 4.8-hectare plot with calcareous clay soils. The wine is fermented and aged for 12 months in oak casks, 22 percent of which are new. The result is a medium-bodied wine with secondary notes such as spice and nutmeg to compliment the fruity core. It is then aged additionally for six months in tank before bottling. The wine is dazzling with notes of peach, lemon and apple. It is a balanced and long-lived beautiful wine.