Olivier Leflaive
Prices:
Something of a calling card for Olivier Leflaive, Les Sétilles makes up around a third of the production of the estate. It is produced from around 60 plots spread over 35 hectares, located mostly in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, with a small amount of Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Hautes Côtes de Nuits and Côte Chalonnaise to add freshness and energy. Two thirds of the wine was fermented in oak barrels and matured in oak, a small amount of which (15 percent) was new. The remaining third was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness. After 10 months everything was transferred to tanks to marry together and add some tension.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 65cs
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer
Bottle
£22.50
Bottle 12 x 75cl 91cs
Bottle
£23.07
Bottle 12 x 75cl 29cs
Bottle
£27.95
Bottle
£27.95
Bottle 6 x 75cl 43cs
Bottle
£55.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 99cs
Bottle
£62.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 14cs
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
After studying at business school, Olivier Leflaive headed to Paris to live a rather bohemian life during the 1970s, working in music and television. He returned to Burgundy in 1981 to manage Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent and later his cousin Anne-Claude. Having long-aspired to work for himself, he set up his own négociant business in 1984 and, upon leaving the family domaine a decade later, he gave 15 years’ notice that he would take back his share of the family vines from 2009. Experienced winemaker Franck Grux now makes between 85 and 90 different cuvées, vinifying the equivalent of 120 hectares, of which 17 are estate. The focus here is on elegance and finesse over power. Winemaker Franck Grux is very pleased with the quality of the 2016 vintage, although he explained that the frost damage caused grapes to ripen at different times, which required a great deal of patience and necessitated extending the harvest to three weeks, as opposed to the normal two. The Puligny vineyards were relatively lucky in terms of frost damage, giving good yields. Franck explained that he carried out more lees stirring in 2016 than in 2015 to give the wines more weight, feeling that 2016 is a vintage with comparatively modest body and ripeness. Unless otherwise stated, all wines are domaine.
Bottle
£75.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 7cs
Bottle
£85.00
Bottle
£85.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 7cs
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
After studying at business school, Olivier Leflaive headed to Paris to live a rather bohemian life during the 1970s, working in music and television. He returned to Burgundy in 1981 to manage Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent and later his cousin Anne-Claude. Having long-aspired to work for himself, he set up his own négociant business in 1984 and, upon leaving the family domaine a decade later, he gave 15 years’ notice that he would take back his share of the family vines from 2009. Experienced winemaker Franck Grux now makes between 85 and 90 different cuvées, vinifying the equivalent of 120 hectares, of which 17 are estate. The focus here is on elegance and finesse over power. Winemaker Franck Grux is very pleased with the quality of the 2016 vintage, although he explained that the frost damage caused grapes to ripen at different times, which required a great deal of patience and necessitated extending the harvest to three weeks, as opposed to the normal two. The Puligny vineyards were relatively lucky in terms of frost damage, giving good yields. Franck explained that he carried out more lees stirring in 2016 than in 2015 to give the wines more weight, feeling that 2016 is a vintage with comparatively modest body and ripeness. Unless otherwise stated, all wines are domaine.
Bottle
£90.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 13cs
Bottle
£100.00
Bottle
£120.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£120.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 4cs
Bottle
£135.00
Bottle
£135.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 6cs
Bottle
£140.00
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
After studying at business school, Olivier Leflaive headed to Paris to live a rather bohemian life during the 1970s, working in music and television. He returned to Burgundy in 1981 to manage Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent and later his cousin Anne-Claude. Having long-aspired to work for himself, he set up his own négociant business in 1984 and, upon leaving the family domaine a decade later, he gave 15 years’ notice that he would take back his share of the family vines from 2009. Experienced winemaker Franck Grux now makes between 85 and 90 different cuvées, vinifying the equivalent of 120 hectares, of which 17 are estate. The focus here is on elegance and finesse over power. Winemaker Franck Grux is very pleased with the quality of the 2016 vintage, although he explained that the frost damage caused grapes to ripen at different times, which required a great deal of patience and necessitated extending the harvest to three weeks, as opposed to the normal two. The Puligny vineyards were relatively lucky in terms of frost damage, giving good yields. Franck explained that he carried out more lees stirring in 2016 than in 2015 to give the wines more weight, feeling that 2016 is a vintage with comparatively modest body and ripeness. Unless otherwise stated, all wines are domaine.
Bottle
£140.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 9cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle
£155.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 13cs
Bottle
£300.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 2cs
Bottle
£325.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 7cs
Bottle
£325.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 7cs
Bottle
£375.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 7cs
Bottle
£385.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 5cs
Bottle
£385.00
Bottle 3 x 75cl 5cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 1cs
Olivier Leflaive is the son of Joseph, nephew of Vincent and cousin of Anne-Claude. He was co-manager of Domaine Leflaive with his uncle Vincent from 1982-1990, and with Anne-Claude from 1990-1994, by which time the négociant business, which he had started in 1985 in order to have some wines to play with outside Puligny-Montrachet, had really blossomed. It was time, in the interests of both parts, to withdraw from the domaine and concentrate on Olivier Leflaive Frères. He employed the talented Jean-Marc Boillot as winemaker and initially had no vineyards and bought in grapes from selected growers.
I should not have used the term ‘négociant’ to describe this business, as the word is never used on any of the labels which specify that the wines have been vinified, matured and bottled by Olivier Leflaive Frères. Olivier wants to make clear the distinction between his operation, where all the wines have been vinified whether purchased as grapes or must, and the type of négociant who buys vinified wine in barrel, or indeed even already bottled.
Production is now around 70,000 cases across 65 different appellations, 85 per cent in white wine. Included in the production are his own vineyards which cover 15 hectares in Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault. Wines which are solely from Olivier Leflaive’s own vines are marked ‘Récolte du Domaine’. These holdings are about to be swelled with the proportion of Domaine Leflaive due to Olivier and his brother Patrick, which they have been able to take back at the end of an agreed 18-year lease with the domaine.
Under the auspices of winemaker Frank Grux, since 1988, the wines are vinified exactly as they would be at any other first-class Burgundy domaine, with all the whites being barrel-fermented and being aged in small oak barriques. Olivier Leflaive is looking for elegance and finesse rather than power and ‘specularité’. There is little new-oak effect and his wines are usually attractive young. The wines are hallmarks of elegance and purity rather than muscle and are more than worthy of the famous Leflaive name.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.