Domaine Leflaive Masterclass with James Handford MW

James Handford is among the best tasters,story tellers one can meet when it comes to Burgundy. With his light, humble yet full of knowledge style he took us along a journey across the different vineyards of his friend Anne-Claude Leflaive. A beautiful tasting as always!

http://www.handford.net/

• 2010 Leflaive & Associés Rully 1er Cru Blanc 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully 1er Cru

  Quite a nice surprise as this is an energetic Rully, well made of course and with a lot of structure. The nose points to ripe fruit, light oak touches (sees no new oak). On the palate it felt quite ready, but definitely had the stuffing to go quite a few more years. Forget anything u expect from a fatty, flabby Rully, this is a properly good wine. Unfortunately the price also reflects that too! 91 and drinks very nicely now.

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• 2009 Leflaive & Associés Monthélie 1er Cru Sur la Velle 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie 1er Cru

  Very Burgundian pinot nose, raspberry, strawberries, light and elegant. On the young side yet very approachable and in a way forward on the fruit. Nice firm edge of tannin too. For us this is the definition of a 90/100 wine, good, well made , balanced yet lacking depth and complexita AKA magic. 90 and drinks well now but 1-2 years of patience will only help.

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• 2009 Leflaive & Associés Charmes-Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Following on from the Monthelie 2009 this showed its class albeit it felt young and not in its drinking window. To be honest it is more approachable than expected and in no way austere however still not there yet. The nose is on the darker, smoky side as to be expected from a wine of Gevrey. Well structured with depth of fruit, fuller wine and with density. Still not hit its stride though and will need a few more years , like 3-5 to be worthy of its price tag. We will not rate at this juncture.

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• 2010 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc

  This is a testament to Ms Laflaive's wine making, when the humble Bourgogne blanc is of this level. It is such a nice wine and to be honest it is only when had with alongside its bigger brothers and sisters that the lack of depth in the fruit shows. Anyhow this is a beautiful wine. The nose is open, with a nice ripe fruit character. Not flabby in any way, full of life and holds its own very well. Granted it lacks depth but still this will not disappoint. 89-91. Drink now

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• 2009 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d'Âne 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Light golden in colour.The nose has a light buttery feel, citrus, ripe fruit and oaky character at this stage. Definitely on the young side. On the palate its of proper Meursault weight and depth. A touch shy, restrained at this stage almost closed down. The energy is there but the complexity is not. its a 90 from us at this stage but with a lot of potential for the future.

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• 2011 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

  Light golden in colour, with a lighter more lean nose (especially given this followed after the 2009 Sous le Dos D'Ane). Lean and focussed much like the 2011 vintage, not as expressive as the wines from 2010 and 2009 but still with a lovely focus and purity. Not at its most giving stage but we enjoyed this leaner side of it and given this is a village it is another show of strength of the domain. A few rough edges on the finish but this is a very nice wine. 90-91 and a year or so in bottle with definitely help.

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• 2002 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  The colour points to the secondary character of the wine. Has matured well with more of an earthy character (especially on the nose), light oxidation (not premox) which could well be from the time in glass. Caramel, mushroom notes, maybe a touch too much caramel. On the palate you get the feeling that it has seen better days and it is now drawing to a close with complexity on the low end. Interesting still. 90-91 from us.

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• 2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Proper Puligny with all the hallmarks of this beautiful appellation. Vibrant wine from the start, with a nose of light caramel notes, ripe fruit and minerality. Light earthy touches too. On the palate it just feel right, well balanced, alive and vibrant with good core of fruit. Long long finish. Proper wine. 93 easy

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• 2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Toasty oak feel on the nose. Fuller on the nose and palate than the Clavoillons and felt like a class higher. Lots of depth and expression here, complexity. More concentrated. Lovely mineral edge and this has longevity written all over it. On the day this was our favourite wine of the master class. We can go on and on about it but this was simply stunning. 94 easy

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• 2006 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Way more evolved than the 2005 we tried just before. Has a riper fruit nose, light touches of oxidation and minerality. Burst of caramel too. Feels as if it has matured too fast to be honest and we would question its longevity from here on (Especially after trying the 2005 , Papies 94, which felt it could easily go another 10yrs). Still don't get us wrong this is a very good wine. 92 from us and drink sooner than later.

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• 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Once again a testament to the domaine when they manage to pull something like this from the difficult 2008 vintage and we think we would struggle to find better from the vintage. The colour definitely belongs to a much older wine, dense gold and although full of clarity it lacks a but of a shine. The nose, which is the highpoint, has a nice ripe character, citrus notes mostly. Nice harmony on the palate but with quite a few rough edges on the finish. 91-92 from us

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• 2009 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  A restrained wine just getting ready to burst into the scene... This is now a touch closed, especially on the nose. Nice mineral character, citrus notes. On the palate it feels a touch shy albeit the quality is there and you know that this is a proper wine just not showing now. A good 92 now, but with a lot of potential.

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• 2005 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  The decanting here was not enough to develop the wine enough and felt buttoned up and restrained. Not austere and difficult just you cold feel even after a 10 wine flight and all the palate fatigue that your at this stage only scratching the surface on this. Not as giving as the 1er crus of Leflaive from 2005 (the beautiful Clavoillon & Folatieres we tried just before) but the elegance is here, the substance and the tension that a great wine has. Pure, concentrated and complex yet with so much more to give to those lucky enough to own it and with patience. AT this stage it is a 94 for us and it took us a lot of time to agree on a rating, but definitely this will be in the high 90s given 3-4 years.

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Granted a lot of the wines here were young but the overall characteristic of them was an unparalleled vitality and energy that dominated.