What’s not to love about getting together for a tasting of Leflaive, comparing '07 Bourgognes and a couple of Premier Crus to examples from prior years? Members of the San Francisco WSET group convened on this subject this week, and the general conclusion was that our '07 samples indicate a vintage of power and precision, but there was also a lot of love for mature samples of Les Pucelles and Calvoillon from '99 and '00, respectively, thanks to their nuttiness and complexity. Some were more impressed by the '07 Meursault sample than I was. And the '07 Les Pucelles stood head and shoulders for me above the '07 Clavoillon, as it did, I think, for most of the group. As usual with this crowd, there were insightful and geeky discussions regarding botrytis, sulfur levels, reduction, barrel selection, declassification and other winemaking topics. Many thanks to Dan Culley-Rapata for organizing and hosting us.
Bourgogne Blanc & P-M
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2007 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Light yellow color; tart lemon, vanilla, citrus, kumquat, vanilla bean nose; round, tasty, tart lemon, mineral palate with good acidity and balance; medium finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.) -
2006 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Bright light yellow color; appealing, lemon, lemon cream, vanilla, floral, orange blossom and acacia nose with some botrytis sweetness; round, sweet lemon, tart orange, acacia, vanilla oak palate; medium finish (89 pts.) -
2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Light golden yellow color; poised, lemon, vanilla, nutty, mineral nose with a sense of chalk; tasty, still a little tight, minerally, tart lemon palate; medium-plus finish (91 pts.)
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2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Bright light yellow color; nice tart lemon, verging on baked lemon, mineral, reduction nose; tasty, poised, elegant, tart lemon, mineral palate with structure; medium-plus finish 94+ pts. (94 pts.) -
1999 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Light medium canary yellow color; nutty, hazelnut, poached pear, butter, smoke, bacon fat nose; butter, tart lemon, nutty, pear palate; medium finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Bright light yellow color; nice lemon, acacia, mineral nose; tasty, tart lemon, mineral, tart pineapple, pear palate with depth and cut; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (92 pts.) -
2000 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Light golden yellow color; mature hazelnut, cheese rind nose with some reduction; tart lemon, almond, pear, vanilla, a little tight now; medium finish (92 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Leflaive Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru Sous le Dos D’Ane - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
Light yellow color; light, beckoning lemon chiffon, mineral, tart pineapple, lemon Koolaid nose; tart orange, clementine, lemon, mineral, chalk palate, a little steely; medium-plus finish (“a Meursault with a Puligny sensibility,” per Rebecca) (91 pts.)
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2008 Merryvale Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard - USA, California, North Coast, Carneros
Light, green-tinged, yellow color; pineapple, tart tropical fruit nose; rich, ripe lemon, pineapple, apple, butter, lime palate; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (12 mo. fermentation) (90 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Barat Chablis - France, Burgundy, Chablis
Light yellow color; reduction, lime, tart citrus nose; tart citrus, lime, mineral palate with medium acidity; medium finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
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