Using Google Eaerth technology, wine importer Frederick Wildman and Sons offers 3-D interactive tours on its website, http://tour.frederickwildman.com, stopping at iconic regions around the world (like Puligny-Montrachet, above). Some include commentary from winemakers like Rioja's Baron de Ley.
Start with a respected Burgundian producer who has the ability to select from some of the finest parcels in two of the most prestigious communes for chardonnay in all of Burgundy, the homeland of chardonnay.
Blend and mature those parcels to precise and exacting standards---what the Burgundians call élevage, elevating or lifting up the wine--- and release it at a remarkably low price.
That’s a formula for success.
That’s what Olivier Leflaive does with the Les Setilles Bourgogne Blanc 2009. It’s rare when you find a wine of this quality sporting the humble and unassuming “Bourgogne Blanc” moniker. That’s usually seen on more modest, and, well, unassuming wines.
Although the names of Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, two bastions of Premier Cru and Grand Cru chardonnays, don’t appear on the label, chardonnay from those two are what is inside the bottle.
Leflaive carefully selects from the two communes to achieve roughly a 70% Puligny-Montracher/30% Meursault balance, with Meursault contributing the plump roundness and Puligny-Montrachet the mineral austerity to the pairing.
Leflaive further shows its wisdom by using carefully restrained oak influence in the Les Setilles: this is a chardonnay where the fruit is allowed---encouraged, enabled---to shine through clearly and boldly, with only the lightest hint of vanilla oak to enhance the wine.
Remarkably floral in the nose, fresh and bright, with squirts of lemon zest, this is an enticing chardonnay from start to pleasant finish. The true signal of quiet quality, though, comes through after the taste, when you realize that you’re no longer looking at the elements of the wine, but appreciating the wine for what it is in total. And that’s because the elements come together so seamlessly, in such poised balance, that you stop noticing the details and simply enjoy the wine.
As a final grace note, Leflaive prices the Les Setilles at a very reasonable price, so you can enjoy more of it. It is Leflaive’s best-selling chardonnay offering, and it’s a steal. And a shame that more people don’t know about it.
Maison Olivier Leflaive 2009 Barrel Tasting -- A Must for Your Cellar!!
At the Wildman Burgundy Tasting last Friday at the Peninsula Hotel, I had the utmost pleasure to meet Patrick Leflaive, brother of (and co-owner of the wine estate) Olivier Leflaive. There has been a strong connection with our membership and Olivier Leflaive since before I came to the club, especially with the Puligny-Montrachet Villages which has been one of our more popular White Burgundies from day one. It is a fantastic, crisp representation of Burgundy, however, an even more popular line from Olivier has peaked our interest at the club: Olivier Leflaive Les Setilles. With some negotiating, I brought the Setilles to the by-the-glass list, and have seen skyrocketing results for interest in White Burgundy. Not only is it our most popular glass pour, it is also one of the members' favorites for the home. Last season alone, we purchased about 50 cases for the house and for our membership.
In meeting Patrick and explaining the fantastic rapport his wines have with our membership, he thanked me for our patronage and described the estate in great detail, and invited me (and everyone else who was there too) to visit the winery. (Another perk in meeting these amazing people, is that should we travel, we would have places to visit, and hopefully stay!) I then delved into the 2009 barrel samples of Olivier Leflaive's portfolio.
Patrick Leflaive and the Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
By Lettie Teague
- Daniel Johnnes’ La Paulee.
There is never a shortage of Burgundy wines in New York. And this week there are plenty of Burgundian winemakers too. That’s because it’s almost time for La Paulee, the eating and drinking Burgundian extravaganza that Daniel Johnnes, wine director of the Dinex Group (aka Daniel Boulud’s group) has organized for the past eleven years.
But before La Paulee begins this weekend, various importers and distributors host their own Burgundy dinners and tastings all around town.
I attended one such dinner last night at Oceana where top winemakers, including Antoine Vincent (Chateau Fuisse), Eric Rousseau (Domaine Armand Rousseau) and Patrick LeFlaive (Domaine LeFlaive Freres) were all presenting their wines.
While many of the wines served that night were memorable (2007 Chateau Fuisse Pouilly Fuisse Vielles Vignes; 2007 Daomine Sylvain Cathiard Nuits St.-Georges Les Murgers and the 2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche), the same couldn’t be said of the winemakers’ speeches.
Most of them cited the size of their vineyards or thanked their fathers – except Oliver Leflaive, who did thank his brother for letting him come to New York. He also counseled the assembled group of writers, sommeliers and fans that his wine, the 2008 Leflaive Corton Charlemagne, though delicious, was far too young to drink.
“If you drink it, you will kill the baby,” he said at one point. I can’t say I liked that line but I liked the one that followed: “Leflaive will not solve all your problems, but it will bring you interesting new ones.”
At the end of the evening I realized that somewhere between dinner and home, I’d lost my hat. But I don’t think that’s what LeFlaive meant…
OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
Olivier Leflaive 2009 Puligny-Montrachet 16.5 Drink 2013-2018
Blend of 35 parcels. Restrained and a little herbal. Then richer and more satisfying – riper – on the palate than I expected but still has very fine acidity and good length. Taut and energetic. (JH)
£220 per case, or £230 per 6 magnums ib Haynes Hanson & Clark
Olivier Leflaive, Grand Cru 2009 Corton-Charlemagne 17 Drink 2015-2025
Blend of three parcels round the hill of Corton. Lightly toasty and reductive and inviting. Zesty, so concentrated it is almost sour. Definitely a baby but with lots of potential. (JH)
£300 per case of 6 ib Haynes Hanson & Clark
Olivier Leflaive 2009 Volnay 16.5 Drink 2013-2018
Mid crimson. Strawberries and vanilla sugar on the nose – but not as sweet as that sounds. Balanced, eay and a fine tannin/acid balance with a sense of more to come. Elegant and complete. (JH)
£197 per case ib Haynes Hanson & Clark
Olivier Leflaive, Les Mitans Premier Cru 2009 Volnay 17 Drink 2015-2020
More savoury and darker fruit than the straight Volnay and deeper colour. Quite firm, savoury and yet still juicy and fresh. (JH)
£
When the glasses were collected and the blind-tasting bags torn from the bottles, the big winners were Tres Sabores, Dry Creek Vineyards, V. Sattui, and Olivier Leflaive.
The largest single label collection of fine wines was the four different bottles from Olivier Leflaive: 2008 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers Clos Saint-Marc, 2008 Puligny-Montrachet, 2007 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, and 2008 Meursault.
Two, the Chassagne-Montrachet and the Puligny-Montrachet, scored four stars or higher. The Chassagne-Montrachet was the first empty bottle of the evening. Several different guests identified it blind as quality White Burgundy, and used descriptions like “outstanding,” and “excellent.”
The Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet scored almost as well, garnering an even four stars out of five. The average scores on the other Leflaive wines were above average, but lower, but they were all empty by the end of the night
daily wine picks
Picks for Jan. 10, 2011
Less than $15
Jan. 10, 2011 RIBBONWOOD Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2009 (86 points, $12)
Tasty, showing citrus, pear and apple flavors that have a pleasant ripeness and a floral quality. Balanced and juicy. Drink now. 40,000 cases made. —MaryAnn Worobiec
$15 to $30
Jan. 10, 2011 CHÂTEAU BONNET Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon Bordeaux 2007 (87 points, $15)
Forward, with a lightly toasty edge to the tobacco, mulled cherry and red currant fruit flavors. A tobacco edge lingers on the lightly firm finish. Drink now. 15,000 cases imported. —James Molesworth
More than $30
Jan. 10, 2011 OLIVIER LEFLAIVE Meursault 2008 (91 points, $52)
A lean, taut style, yet intense, delivering a stony undercurrent to its lime blossom, hazelnut and apple flavors. Silky and harmonious, with a lingering mineral aftertaste. Drink now through 2018. 500 cases imported. —Bruce Sanderson
It's no secret that we're huge fans of Joe Roberts and 1winedude.com! Week after week he churns out some of the best reading, most compelling, and downright entertaining wine writing on the web, so we were psyched this morning when we opened up the page to find that he had chosen two of our selection in his Top Ten of 2010!
You can read excerpts below, and check out the rest of the list here. AND... if you're not reading 1winedude.com weekly you're missing out! So do it now!
9) 2007 Jaboulet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise “Le Chant des Griolles” (Rhone) $25
Why it made the list: Riddle me this, Batman: how often does Muscat totally rule? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I know, right? This might just be the only wine Top 10 list with a Muscat in it, unless someone is out there producing The Muscat de Beaumes de Venise Hour somewhere. It’s an amazingly tasty Muscat and easily one of the best that I’ve ever tried; like someone took quince and Asian pear, empowered them with the ability to perform miracles and then liquefied and beautified them. I make no concessions or excuses for having included this wine in the list or for giving a Muscat an “A” rating. In fact, this wine’s inclusion in my 2010 Top 10 list is in a (very) small way a gauntlet thrown down at the feet of wine reviewers everywhere to acknowledge that not every high-scoring wine need be big, tannic, red, and 14.5% abv.
4) 2008 Olivier Leflaive 1er Cru Clos St. Marc (Chassagne-Montrachet) $90
Why it made the list: It’s the kind of Chardonnay that I imagine the gods of Mt. Olympus would drink while deciding which hapless mortals to slay with their terrible lightening bolts.
For that kind of price, it had better be good, right? And it is – amazing, in fact, and so elegant it’s like buying yourself a license to be royalty for an hour or two. My take on this wine when I tasted it in October was that it poured over with citrus aromas and flavors so pure they could qualify for the abstract perfection aroma that Aristotle had in mind when he wrote Book Delta of the Metaphysics. The finish is long enough that you could measure it in minutes without the use of stopwatch. Which is a good thing, because after buying a case you probably won’t be able to afford a stopwatch anyway.
Via 1winedude.com
