(CDV) Si je reproche souvent à la maison de produire des vins trop boisés à mon goût, ce n’était pas le cas de celui-ci. Mais le grillé fumé de l’autolyse, offrant une réduction tenace et envahissante, n’allait pas pour autant me convaincre. En effet, l’aromatique restait engoncé dans des notes de pierre à fusil, entachant la pureté et la complexité aromatique de l’ensemble (sous-bois, petits champignons). L’équilibre du millesime se faisait bien sentir toutefois, sur la tension, la fraîcheur structurelle, donnant de l'allant et du souffle au vin. Un Batard tranchant, étiré (la très belle longueur du pédigrée) à servir de préférence sur des viandes blanches
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Tasted blind, this wine had a deep yellow center and clear rims. The medium intensity nose gained with air to show minerals, lemon, apples, and some toasty oak.
In the mouth, this wine was extremely well balanced with richness, acidity, and great length.
This still seemed a bit young but it was starting to drink well. This, again, had a bit too much oak in the mouth for my taste. Those that don't mind the oak might score it a couple points higher. Drink over the next 15 years.
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blind Very good Burgundy, but this time not that perfect I had it a few times. Brilliantly balanced but this time at his peak, I had it "younger" in the palate. Anyway worth to search for it. Thanks Micha. 97
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Another perfect bottle of this from the same cellar. Impossibly light in colour. Consistent with the August 2020 note. Extremely fresh and clean. Has that wonderful Leflaive reduction and struck match sulphur smoke above golden tropical fruit. Surprisingly youthful and so clean it’s almost in a state of arrested development. Beautiful white oak spice nicely integrated. Opulent and dense but cut with good acid. 95 - 96.
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From 3 liter. Incredibly young in this format. Benefited somewhat from airtime, but really needed another 5+ years on bottle. Good mouthfeel to this wine, and the ripe fruit is nicely balanced by mineral notes when it shows this young.
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The weight and power of this wine are pure Bâtard-Montrachet and the elegance is Domaine Leflaive. From a perfectly preserved collection, it displays a medium gold color. Just a hint of butterscotch to the agrume flavors and not a hint of oxidation. Still, it flattens out with air and time and was at its best the first fifteen minutes. Should we expect more from any white Burgundy at the quarter-century mark?
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blind I got goosebumps from the beginning. The nose is beautiful and seductive. Some discreet popcorn but not too much and not overwhelming roasted nuts or honey. The elegance is out of the world but the concentration is perfect. Precise and filigree likewise. I had this wine once before and after the Chevalier 1996 it felt weaker but this was perfection. Fell in love. I guessed 1996 but had no idea of the house. 100
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In my experience this is a Consistently stunning wine....almost painfully intense flavors and fruit that cut a broad swatch across the palate. Deep and lingering. The matchstick nose faded a little after 2+ hours but the energetic flavors sustained a peak level throughout (97-98)
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Perfect bottle, fresh and clean, light golden colour, super lucky. Great reductive nose with plenty of the classic struck match and smoke ahead of pineapple and citrus fruit. Lemon / lime at the beginning then more of a coconut cream sort of direction. Excellent spices too. Richer and deeper flavours than the very good 2002 yesterday. Finish is precise with pleasant acid. Best example of this in a long time. 94 - 96.
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Ficofi Paulee- Super flinty in the nose with that signature sesame and matchstick. Palate was both elegant and powerful with lovely acidity at the backdrop. Excellent precision.
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Very similar to last time, yet bottle from a different source (my own cellar)...this is the best Batard I’ve had. The nose is pristine, and rates 100 points, it’s pure Chardonnay perfection and power. It explodes from the glass and over 3 hours never lets up. The flavors tilt towards crisp, lean, saline/oyster shell. For the first 90 minutes the finish felt like a sip of ocean water, and as it warmed/aired it got rounder....the last sip the best. If you prefer austerity/salinity to dominate, you could even add 1-2 points
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Faint cork. Too bad as colour was excellent and you could still get a sense of the concentration and development. Frustratingly ironic as the risk here was surely oxidization and this was looking great...
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Old White Burgundy at Wine Watch (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): This bottle was served last in this remarkable tasting of old white Burgundy, meant to be the highlight. It was. Clean. Good to excellent intensity, concentration and complexity. Gained weight in the glass. Purchased on release by the owner and stored perfectly. It demonstrates beautifully what we are missing now that we can no longer afford to give our white Burgundies a good long sleep. So sad.
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This bottle was absolutely pristine, the aromas were 10 out of 10 intensity. Palate was rich and very very complex, like drinking a great Montrachet where one must pay constant attention to get every changing nuance. Ah, the good old days of Leflaive.
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1996 Burgundy Retrospective - The Second Session (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): The fill is a bit low which is worrisome. Beautiful pale color and the nose reflects it. Absolutely gorgeous perfectly mature white Burgundy nose displaying perfectly ripe yellow fruit, pineapple, lemon curd, a hint of pear, flint, smoke, sesame, oyster shell and wet stone. Beautifully integrated palate, very finely layered subtle yellow fruit, perfect precision, exceptional freshness, incredibly energy, bright acidity, strong wet stone mineral and a long yellow citrus driven finish with flint and sesame at the end. Despite the low fill, this bottle remains incredibly youthful. I typically prefer the Chevalier but not today.
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Clean yet pungent with several layers of depth. Perhaps with just a shade less precision on the finish as the best bottles, but impressive for both the vintage and the age.
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Brought to Paulee and was at the Leflaive table. Consequently there were a lot of Leflaive wines and this 96 Batard was the white WOTN for most. Absolutely singing on the nose and palate. Mouth puckering flavors - lemon, leesy, nutty, white flowers, citrus, acid and structure. In an absolutely perfect spot right now and everything you want in old white Burg. Zero hints of oxidation.
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Opened a little shy and heavy, we agreed there was no signs of premox which was win already. Drank alongside a perfect bottle of 96 Roulot Charmes this shed its clumsiness and picked up more acid, complexity, and weight. After 3 hours both bottles of 96 were stunning in quality. Shame it was both of our last bottles.
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This showed beautifully tonight and it still possesses razor-sharp acidity and a classic Leflaive sulphur note. Leaner and more one-dimentional than the '92 Ramonet Bienvenue tasted alongside and it actually suffered in the comparison. Lovely complexity on the finish with classic white mineral notes and plenty of nuttiness. No doubt I would've scored this higher without the incredible Ramonet on the table. At Ralph's, Quogue, NY.
Zachys La Paulée "Warm-up" Dinner (Sessions at the Presidio - San Francisco CA): Rich peach and apple with baked apple and apple pie spice. Very good length and concentration. Some thought this oxidized, but I thought this had an age appropriate level of oxidation, maybe slightly more mature than that. So I certainly wouldn't cellar this longer.
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Pre La Paulée Zachy's BYO Dinner (Sessions at The Presidio - SF, CA): Not a great bottle as this was showing some oxidation. The nose has good density but the fruit is tired and there are honey and butterscotch notes. The palate show similarly advanced. Probably an 87-88 point showing.
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Erneut Reiswaffel meets Popcorn, aber nicht so prägnant wie beim Chevalier-Montrachet. Er wirkt eleganter und damit auch mit etwas weniger Druck als sein Bruder. Jammern auf höchstem Niveau. Im Abgang geröstete Haselnüsse, ohne zu viel Power zu entfachen, 96-97
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Mature and vibrant. Good energy on the nose here with wet rocks and light petrol. Still full palate with a voluptuous midpalate as far as these bottles go at this point. Modest acidity and stone fruits on the finish.
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Petrol and gunpowder on the initial nose, giving way to citrus, slight salinity, chalk and crushed rocks. Much fresher in comparison to the '92. Palate required one hour to fully open. Nice freshness to this bottle
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Performed at the high end of the range for these bottles. Intense and youthful, this had more energy than many of the mid '00s bottles that were already beginning to fade. 94-95
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Still in great shape, but fully mature. Smoke and petrol, some florals on the nose, classic aged burgundy with flint on the palate with a hint of peach or apricot. Very fine. Drink up.
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Initial petrol notes on the nose, transitioning to dry yellow fruits and rocky notes. Wine flattens out somewhat on the palate and lacks the last level of precision. Still strong acid on backpalate. Consumed with lobster tempura
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A good but not exceptional bottle of this wine. Subdued aromatics versus other bottles. Strong acid profile initially, which moderated with air time. Exhibited the balance that '96 Leflaives typically show.
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Six Leflaive Batards. The 99 was good, but this bottle didn't really deliver. The 00 was very, very good, but was edged out be a stunning bottle of 01, which went from strength to strength over the few hours we drank these bottles. The 90 was a treat, as I hadn't tried this vintage before, and it was great. The 96 was very good as well. The 92 was hot, sweet, and I liked it a lot, although the table was generally unappreciative of it. Lefaive Batard is simply stunning across the board, and this extended vertical was a real treat and a whole lot of fun.
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Acker Paulee Dinner (The Fourth, NYC): Full frontal assault on the nose. Full rich citrus, oak and lovely minerality. Powerful and graceful. Long, oily finish.
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Acker "Paulee" Burgundy Dinner (The Fourth - New York NY): Opulent aromas and flavors, but with great balance and grace. Fun, rich and approachable, while still very fresh. Quite the contrast to the Leflaive '96 Chevalier in the next glass, which wasn't showing off tonight.
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Now we’re talking. Kept going back and forth as to whether I liked the BM or the Chevy best…they kept changing. Both were wonderful. Initially the typical Leflaive matchstick, but this blew off with air. Nice structure, density and balance. Rich, with good mouthfeel
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Leflaive vertikal: (Blind) Klar, lys, gyllen gul. Sitrus, eik, mild mandarin og vaniljesukker på nese. Klar, stram og presis og sitrusdreven frukt med frisk syre. Stram, noe bitter utgang. Noe kort. Ikke helt optimal flaske. 91/92 P
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This wine has so much material that it took about thirty minutes to actually open up, but when it did, it show amazing power and sophistication... A tour-de-force. (Commerce)
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Sharp initial nose of lime. Thought the bottle was flawed. Improved as it warmed in the glass and nutty fruits began to come through the citrus flavours.
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This bottle was not as good as the previous example, sadly... it had a lovely nose and good minerality but not mature yet - and lacking density. The owner says this batch must have been stored very cold before he bought it because they all have been retarted.
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Light yellow color, nose quite closed over an extended period, with more pronounced roasted nuts, more oak. Palate got loads of stuffings, fresh acidity and quite rounded finish. Good samples can cellar for much longer.
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Had the pleasure of tasting this again. UK stock from their main distributer. This one was sharper and better defined than the previous bottle but still a bit loose for my taste. For those who like their white burgs big, brawny and powerful this is it. Maybe i will like it more when it is older.
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Golden brown in color with butterscotch on nose. Apricot and honey on palate. Some oak is detectable, but in harmony with other flavors. Incredibly complex. From Phil/Patty.
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I remember having this bottle a year or two ago and it was tight, young and razor sharp and just oozing class. This bottle (sourced from the US) on the other hand was very open and approachable. Lots of petrol and burnt toast on the nose and in the mouth a full blown batard that left nothing in reserve. A bit on the simple and loose side and if served blind might have guessed batard but not leflaive.
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Not exactly a baby at age 14, so maybe some oxidation is not premature. But the golden color and straghtforward aroma of warm butter is too simple for a perfectly aged Leflaive grand cru. The overall impression was the wine was on a downhill slide rather than its peak.
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When perfectly healthy like this bottle, the '96s are a work of art, though still quite youthful. Beautiful butter yellow. It's the purity of the Leflaive style that is so impressive, from the fresh lemon vanilla cream pear fragrance to the focused clean finish. Medium weight at most, especially for Batard, but a wonderful crafted wines with years of life ahead. With more complexity, which may well develop, this could be a masterpiece.
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This one was a puzzler. When I first opened it, the color was light, the aromatics classical and the palate on target. But at the restaurant, the wine became darker in color, more closed on the nose and the flavor simpler and more lemony. Perhaps it was the dreaded prem-ox but I'm just not sure.
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Off bottle? Tertiary aroma's. One dimensional. On its way down? Not a shadow of its expected standing. There are some almonds, but that is about it. Except that there is acidity as well. For emotional reasons I do not score it.
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A moderately gold color aroused concern. Nevertheless I gave it a 2 hr. decant in the refrigerator to open it up. At Marks LO, it showed brilliantly with no trace of prem-ox. Gorgeous nose of cold butter, ripe rear and the barest hint of honeycomb. Terrific length and persistence. Full in the mouth and perfectly fresh; still on the young side but irresistible now. Recognizably Batard. but with the exquisite Leflaive stamp of elegance and the slightly austere style of the vintage.
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I had heard a lot about this bottle and the least I can say is that I was not disappointed. Even though it is simply gorgeous on the palate and has a great finish, the nose is really the thing to die for in this wine. this is truly amazing stuff and I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it. Acidity is very high, the nose impeccably fresh and at the same time voluptuous, in the mouth the wine is focused (searing acidity) and has marvelous balance with a good deal of minerality. Awesome, though nowhere near drinking peak.
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3/1/2024 - Burgundy Al wrote: 94 Points
Some Wine Tasted at the Acker La Paulée Auction (Maybourne Hotel - Beverly Hills CA): Tasted at auction. Magnum. Quiet start, the nearly explosively good middle-to-finish. This might also be the best I can ever recall for this (inconsistent) wine.
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12/7/2023 - Raage wrote: 92 Points
(CDV)
Si je reproche souvent à la maison de produire des vins trop boisés à mon goût, ce n’était pas le cas de celui-ci. Mais le grillé fumé de l’autolyse, offrant une réduction tenace et envahissante, n’allait pas pour autant me convaincre.
En effet, l’aromatique restait engoncé dans des notes de pierre à fusil, entachant la pureté et la complexité aromatique de l’ensemble (sous-bois, petits champignons). L’équilibre du millesime se faisait bien sentir toutefois, sur la tension, la fraîcheur structurelle, donnant de l'allant et du souffle au vin.
Un Batard tranchant, étiré (la très belle longueur du pédigrée) à servir de préférence sur des viandes blanches
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11/19/2023 - johnh1001 wrote: 97 Points
Gorgeous nose and rich mouthfeel. Amazing mature Batard.
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6/12/2022 - fclarity wrote: 95 Points
Tasted blind, this wine had a deep yellow center and clear rims. The medium intensity nose gained with air to show minerals, lemon, apples, and some toasty oak.
In the mouth, this wine was extremely well balanced with richness, acidity, and great length.
This still seemed a bit young but it was starting to drink well. This, again, had a bit too much oak in the mouth for my taste. Those that don't mind the oak might score it a couple points higher. Drink over the next 15 years.
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5/8/2022 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 97 Points
blind
Very good Burgundy, but this time not that perfect I had it a few times. Brilliantly balanced but this time at his peak, I had it "younger" in the palate. Anyway worth to search for it. Thanks Micha. 97
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8/26/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Transparent and clean bottle. Good freshness here. Gained complexity with airtime.
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8/15/2021 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
Another perfect bottle of this from the same cellar. Impossibly light in colour. Consistent with the August 2020 note. Extremely fresh and clean. Has that wonderful Leflaive reduction and struck match sulphur smoke above golden tropical fruit. Surprisingly youthful and so clean it’s almost in a state of arrested development. Beautiful white oak spice nicely integrated. Opulent and dense but cut with good acid. 95 - 96.
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8/7/2021 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 96 Points
From 3 liter. Incredibly young in this format. Benefited somewhat from airtime, but really needed another 5+ years on bottle. Good mouthfeel to this wine, and the ripe fruit is nicely balanced by mineral notes when it shows this young.
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7/26/2021 - aquacongas wrote: 98 Points
semiblind, 95,96, 97
WOTH, guessed 96, close to his peak but I had this wine twice even better. 98
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6/5/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 93 Points
The weight and power of this wine are pure Bâtard-Montrachet and the elegance is Domaine Leflaive. From a perfectly preserved collection, it displays a medium gold color. Just a hint of butterscotch to the agrume flavors and not a hint of oxidation. Still, it flattens out with air and time and was at its best the first fifteen minutes. Should we expect more from any white Burgundy at the quarter-century mark?
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5/24/2021 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 100 Points
blind
I got goosebumps from the beginning. The nose is beautiful and seductive. Some discreet popcorn but not too much and not overwhelming roasted nuts or honey. The elegance is out of the world but the concentration is perfect. Precise and filigree likewise. I had this wine once before and after the Chevalier 1996 it felt weaker but this was perfection. Fell in love. I guessed 1996 but had no idea of the house. 100
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10/31/2020 - kr522 wrote:
In my experience this is a Consistently stunning wine....almost painfully intense flavors and fruit that cut a broad swatch across the palate. Deep and lingering. The matchstick nose faded a little after 2+ hours but the energetic flavors sustained a peak level throughout (97-98)
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9/30/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pungent nose, deep citrus notes on the tangy palate. Still vibrant acid. Continued to open over the course of one hour. 94-95
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9/14/2020 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great bottle with a still forceful palate and well articulated flavors.
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8/9/2020 - The Vines That Bind wrote: 95 Points
Perfect bottle, fresh and clean, light golden colour, super lucky. Great reductive nose with plenty of the classic struck match and smoke ahead of pineapple and citrus fruit. Lemon / lime at the beginning then more of a coconut cream sort of direction. Excellent spices too. Richer and deeper flavours than the very good 2002 yesterday. Finish is precise with pleasant acid. Best example of this in a long time. 94 - 96.
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3/5/2020 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Zachys La Paulée "Warm-up" Dinner (Lafayette - New York NY): DOA
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1/14/2020 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ficofi Paulee- Super flinty in the nose with that signature sesame and matchstick. Palate was both elegant and powerful with lovely acidity at the backdrop. Excellent precision.
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1/13/2020 - kr522 wrote: 97 Points
Very similar to last time, yet bottle from a different source (my own cellar)...this is the best Batard I’ve had. The nose is pristine, and rates 100 points, it’s pure Chardonnay perfection and power. It explodes from the glass and over 3 hours never lets up. The flavors tilt towards crisp, lean, saline/oyster shell. For the first 90 minutes the finish felt like a sip of ocean water, and as it warmed/aired it got rounder....the last sip the best. If you prefer austerity/salinity to dominate, you could even add 1-2 points
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12/22/2019 - The Vines That Bind wrote: flawed
Faint cork. Too bad as colour was excellent and you could still get a sense of the concentration and development. Frustratingly ironic as the risk here was surely oxidization and this was looking great...
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12/12/2019 - kr522 wrote: 97 Points
Sensational bottle, laser focused, power and depth....great bouquet with follow through on palate. Feels like it will keep another 10+ years
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11/21/2019 - sdr Likes this wine: 94 Points
Old White Burgundy at Wine Watch (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida): This bottle was served last in this remarkable tasting of old white Burgundy, meant to be the highlight. It was. Clean. Good to excellent intensity, concentration and complexity. Gained weight in the glass. Purchased on release by the owner and stored perfectly. It demonstrates beautifully what we are missing now that we can no longer afford to give our white Burgundies a good long sleep. So sad.
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8/31/2019 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
This bottle was absolutely pristine, the aromas were 10 out of 10 intensity. Palate was rich and very very complex, like drinking a great Montrachet where one must pay constant attention to get every changing nuance. Ah, the good old days of Leflaive.
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8/31/2019 - tinybubbles wrote: 95 Points
Big and full, this bottle had great energy across the palate and near perfect focus on the finish. Not a subtle wine when this fresh, but very good.
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7/11/2019 - pclin wrote:
Showing great today, one of the best wines at today’s lunch.
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4/28/2019 - dcwino wrote: 98 Points
1996 Burgundy Retrospective - The Second Session (Eddie V's - Tysons Corner, VA): The fill is a bit low which is worrisome. Beautiful pale color and the nose reflects it. Absolutely gorgeous perfectly mature white Burgundy nose displaying perfectly ripe yellow fruit, pineapple, lemon curd, a hint of pear, flint, smoke, sesame, oyster shell and wet stone. Beautifully integrated palate, very finely layered subtle yellow fruit, perfect precision, exceptional freshness, incredibly energy, bright acidity, strong wet stone mineral and a long yellow citrus driven finish with flint and sesame at the end. Despite the low fill, this bottle remains incredibly youthful. I typically prefer the Chevalier but not today.
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4/18/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Clean yet pungent with several layers of depth. Perhaps with just a shade less precision on the finish as the best bottles, but impressive for both the vintage and the age.
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3/11/2019 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Brought to Paulee and was at the Leflaive table. Consequently there were a lot of Leflaive wines and this 96 Batard was the white WOTN for most. Absolutely singing on the nose and palate. Mouth puckering flavors - lemon, leesy, nutty, white flowers, citrus, acid and structure. In an absolutely perfect spot right now and everything you want in old white Burg. Zero hints of oxidation.
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2/19/2019 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pungent nose. Perfect palate for this wine at this point. 95-96
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2/4/2019 - FYC wrote:
Opened a little shy and heavy, we agreed there was no signs of premox which was win already. Drank alongside a perfect bottle of 96 Roulot Charmes this shed its clumsiness and picked up more acid, complexity, and weight. After 3 hours both bottles of 96 were stunning in quality. Shame it was both of our last bottles.
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9/10/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 94 Points
This showed beautifully tonight and it still possesses razor-sharp acidity and a classic Leflaive sulphur note. Leaner and more one-dimentional than the '92 Ramonet Bienvenue tasted alongside and it actually suffered in the comparison. Lovely complexity on the finish with classic white mineral notes and plenty of nuttiness. No doubt I would've scored this higher without the incredible Ramonet on the table. At Ralph's, Quogue, NY.
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8/10/2018 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Clean and crisp with a good amount diversity on the palate.
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3/1/2018 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Zachys La Paulée "Warm-up" Dinner (Sessions at the Presidio - San Francisco CA): Rich peach and apple with baked apple and apple pie spice. Very good length and concentration. Some thought this oxidized, but I thought this had an age appropriate level of oxidation, maybe slightly more mature than that. So I certainly wouldn't cellar this longer.
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3/1/2018 - Nanda wrote: flawed
Pre La Paulée Zachy's BYO Dinner (Sessions at The Presidio - SF, CA): Not a great bottle as this was showing some oxidation. The nose has good density but the fruit is tired and there are honey and butterscotch notes. The palate show similarly advanced. Probably an 87-88 point showing.
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12/25/2017 - aquacongas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Erneut Reiswaffel meets Popcorn, aber nicht so prägnant wie beim Chevalier-Montrachet. Er wirkt eleganter und damit auch mit etwas weniger Druck als sein Bruder. Jammern auf höchstem Niveau. Im Abgang geröstete Haselnüsse, ohne zu viel Power zu entfachen, 96-97
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9/7/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Full and rich, and just starting to turn. Was worth tracking its development in the glass over an hour. This bottle was definitely a drink soon. 93-94
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7/22/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Mature and vibrant. Good energy on the nose here with wet rocks and light petrol. Still full palate with a voluptuous midpalate as far as these bottles go at this point. Modest acidity and stone fruits on the finish.
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3/11/2017 - fcxj wrote: 96 Points
Paulee. Totally resolved and feels like it's at its absolute peak. Gun flint, sweet fruit.
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1/24/2017 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 95 Points
Petrol and gunpowder on the initial nose, giving way to citrus, slight salinity, chalk and crushed rocks. Much fresher in comparison to the '92. Palate required one hour to fully open. Nice freshness to this bottle
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1/13/2017 - etyc Likes this wine:
1996-themed dinner at Am Club.
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11/18/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Acker Pre-Auction Tasting Wines & In-Auction Dinner Wines (Zuma - New York NY): Great, great fruit. But I you paid close attention, you could sense it was slightly corked. But still...amazingly tasty, perhaps at the 91 point level for a CORKED bottle!
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11/16/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Performed at the high end of the range for these bottles. Intense and youthful, this had more energy than many of the mid '00s bottles that were already beginning to fade. 94-95
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9/1/2016 - BradE wrote:
Simply sublime. Best bottle of this I've ever had.
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8/13/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best bottle of this in quite some time. Great power and structure. Intense nose. Energetic finish. As fresh as this wine comes at this point. 94-95
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3/26/2016 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still in great shape, but fully mature. Smoke and petrol, some florals on the nose, classic aged burgundy with flint on the palate with a hint of peach or apricot. Very fine. Drink up.
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1/28/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Consistent with recent notes and experiences.
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1/20/2016 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Initial petrol notes on the nose, transitioning to dry yellow fruits and rocky notes. Wine flattens out somewhat on the palate and lacks the last level of precision. Still strong acid on backpalate. Consumed with lobster tempura
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11/11/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
A good but not exceptional bottle of this wine. Subdued aromatics versus other bottles. Strong acid profile initially, which moderated with air time. Exhibited the balance that '96 Leflaives typically show.
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6/28/2014 - BradE wrote:
Six Leflaive Batards. The 99 was good, but this bottle didn't really deliver. The 00 was very, very good, but was edged out be a stunning bottle of 01, which went from strength to strength over the few hours we drank these bottles. The 90 was a treat, as I hadn't tried this vintage before, and it was great. The 96 was very good as well. The 92 was hot, sweet, and I liked it a lot, although the table was generally unappreciative of it. Lefaive Batard is simply stunning across the board, and this extended vertical was a real treat and a whole lot of fun.
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6/20/2014 - fcxj wrote: 94 Points
Excellent
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5/1/2014 - johnh1001 wrote: 96 Points
Acker Paulee Dinner (The Fourth, NYC): Full frontal assault on the nose. Full rich citrus, oak and lovely minerality. Powerful and graceful. Long, oily finish.
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5/1/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Acker "Paulee" Burgundy Dinner (The Fourth - New York NY): Opulent aromas and flavors, but with great balance and grace. Fun, rich and approachable, while still very fresh. Quite the contrast to the Leflaive '96 Chevalier in the next glass, which wasn't showing off tonight.
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4/17/2014 - BUBBA DAWG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Charity Event - French Tasting (Restaurant Daniel): subtle layers and very smooth
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1/22/2014 - rnellans wrote: 96 Points
Now we’re talking. Kept going back and forth as to whether I liked the BM or the Chevy best…they kept changing. Both were wonderful. Initially the typical Leflaive matchstick, but this blew off with air. Nice structure, density and balance. Rich, with good mouthfeel
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4/30/2013 - cortoncharlie wrote: 94 Points
Still on the ascendency. Lovely minerality. Best bottle I've had of this wine and it didn't come across as loose like previous times. Majestic.
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3/1/2013 - -E- wrote: 91 Points
Leflaive vertikal: (Blind) Klar, lys, gyllen gul. Sitrus, eik, mild mandarin og vaniljesukker på nese. Klar, stram og presis og sitrusdreven frukt med frisk syre. Stram, noe bitter utgang. Noe kort. Ikke helt optimal flaske.
91/92 P
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12/12/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 95 Points
This wine has so much material that it took about thirty minutes to actually open up, but when it did, it show amazing power and sophistication... A tour-de-force. (Commerce)
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6/16/2012 - BradE wrote:
Brilliant wine, and nicely paired with an 85 Leflaive Chevalier.
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3/6/2012 - lepetitchateau wrote: 94 Points
So, so elegant but this magnum did not show power. Everyone loved this wine. It was not as exciting to me as some previous examples.
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11/17/2011 - winecowboy wrote: 90 Points
Sharp initial nose of lime. Thought the bottle was flawed. Improved as it warmed in the glass and nutty fruits began to come through the citrus flavours.
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9/10/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was not as good as the previous example, sadly... it had a lovely nose and good minerality but not mature yet - and lacking density. The owner says this batch must have been stored very cold before he bought it because they all have been retarted.
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9/9/2011 - Pacalet wrote: 93 Points
Light yellow color, nose quite closed over an extended period, with more pronounced roasted nuts, more oak. Palate got loads of stuffings, fresh acidity and quite rounded finish. Good samples can cellar for much longer.
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7/9/2011 - lepetitchateau wrote: 97 Points
Astounding nose, so powerful with notes of lanolin, vanilla and laced with acidity... great wine.
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2/20/2011 - BillBl wrote: flawed
Oxidized. Yuck.
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1/8/2011 - cortoncharlie wrote: 93 Points
Had the pleasure of tasting this again. UK stock from their main distributer. This one was sharper and better defined than the previous bottle but still a bit loose for my taste. For those who like their white burgs big, brawny and powerful this is it. Maybe i will like it more when it is older.
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1/7/2011 - KSWinegeek wrote: 95 Points
Golden brown in color with butterscotch on nose. Apricot and honey on palate. Some oak is detectable, but in harmony with other flavors. Incredibly complex. From Phil/Patty.
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12/23/2010 - cortoncharlie wrote: 92 Points
I remember having this bottle a year or two ago and it was tight, young and razor sharp and just oozing class. This bottle (sourced from the US) on the other hand was very open and approachable. Lots of petrol and burnt toast on the nose and in the mouth a full blown batard that left nothing in reserve. A bit on the simple and loose side and if served blind might have guessed batard but not leflaive.
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3/7/2010 - sdr Likes this wine: 90 Points
Not exactly a baby at age 14, so maybe some oxidation is not premature. But the golden color and straghtforward aroma of warm butter is too simple for a perfectly aged Leflaive grand cru. The overall impression was the wine was on a downhill slide rather than its peak.
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11/13/2009 - sdr wrote: 94 Points
When perfectly healthy like this bottle, the '96s are a work of art, though still quite youthful. Beautiful butter yellow. It's the purity of the Leflaive style that is so impressive, from the fresh lemon vanilla cream pear fragrance to the focused clean finish. Medium weight at most, especially for Batard, but a wonderful crafted wines with years of life ahead. With more complexity, which may well develop, this could be a masterpiece.
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7/31/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
No premox here friends, a stunner of a Batard. Great length and minerality, very long finish. Best of the flight.
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5/23/2009 - BillBl wrote: 91 Points
Drank this in the nick of time - cork was soaked through. Still memorable though.
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8/10/2008 - sdr wrote: 86 Points
This one was a puzzler. When I first opened it, the color was light, the aromatics classical and the palate on target. But at the restaurant, the wine became darker in color, more closed on the nose and the flavor simpler and more lemony. Perhaps it was the dreaded prem-ox but I'm just not sure.
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7/31/2008 - Zweder wrote:
Off bottle? Tertiary aroma's. One dimensional. On its way down? Not a shadow of its expected standing. There are some almonds, but that is about it. Except that there is acidity as well. For emotional reasons I do not score it.
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3/15/2008 - sdr wrote: 95 Points
A moderately gold color aroused concern. Nevertheless I gave it a 2 hr. decant in the refrigerator to open it up. At Marks LO, it showed brilliantly with no trace of prem-ox. Gorgeous nose of cold butter, ripe rear and the barest hint of honeycomb. Terrific length and persistence. Full in the mouth and perfectly fresh; still on the young side but irresistible now. Recognizably Batard. but with the exquisite Leflaive stamp of elegance and the slightly austere style of the vintage.
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4/29/2005 - Will wrote:
I had heard a lot about this bottle and the least I can say is that I was not disappointed. Even though it is simply gorgeous on the palate and has a great finish, the nose is really the thing to die for in this wine. this is truly amazing stuff and I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it. Acidity is very high, the nose impeccably fresh and at the same time voluptuous, in the mouth the wine is focused (searing acidity) and has marvelous balance with a good deal of minerality. Awesome, though nowhere near drinking peak.
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