Just returned home from a marvellous tour of Malaysia, which I highly recommend. We finished in Langkawi and discovered that our hotel had a stash of older Leflaive at incredibly reasonable prices. We enjoyed the 2002 and 2005 folatieres and the 05 clavoillons. All of these are strong POX candidates so I was very glad to be able to risk them knowing I could send them back if they were shot! The 02 was a healthy gold colour. Exactly what one would expect at this age. Very high quality here. Slightly odd cheese/lactic note to it though and a little pinched on the finish but I’m nitpicking. The 05 folatieres was notably younger and fresher/more energetic but without the breadth and depth of the 02 yet. Surprisingly, both were completely overshadowed by the 05 clavoillons. Stunning bottle. Incredibly fresh and youthful in colour and on the nose and palate. A glorious wine. A great way to finish a fantastic holiday in a wonderful country.
Interesting as I have always found Clavaillon the least complex/compelling of the Puligny stable with Pucelles my favorite and Folatieres second. It’s always the most delicate in the lineup. With newer wines under DIAM curious to see the new lineups with some age.