2004 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé

Burghound

• By Allen Meadows
  3rd Quarter, 2006, Issue #23, (See more on Burghound...)

  (Domaine Leflaive Mācon-Verzé Villages White) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/23/2009, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (LEFLAIVE Macon Verze) UPDATE: Local Pick Up Hours Another reminder of our limited pick-up hours over the next few weeks: Wednesday December 23rd - 11:00am - 6:00pm Thursday December 24th - 11:00 - 2:00pm Friday December 25th - closed Saturday December 26th - closed Sunday December 27th - closed Monday December 28th - closed Tuesday December 29th - 11:00am - 6:00pm Wednesday December 30th - 11:00am - 6:00pm Thursday December 31st - 12:00 - 4:00pm Friday January 1st - closed Saturday January 2nd - closed Sunday January 3rd - closed Monday January 4th - closed Tuesday January 5th - closed Wednesday January 6th - normal hours resume, 11:00am - 6:00pm To schedule a pick-up, please use the PICK UP link on our homepage, http://www.garagistewine.com. Please give us 24 hours notice to prepare your orders. Thank you - Garagiste ********************************** Holiday Special #4 Dear Friends, Domaine Leflaive What is arguably our craziest price ever has arrived as the final Holiday Special before Christmas - Leflaive's Macon-Verze for the price of, well, nothing that I can think of from Leflaive, Lafon, Leroy, Coche-Dury or the big guns of the Cote d'Beaune. Granted, this is their fledgling Macon holding but the wine still retails for $30-50 or more (you can check pricing from last year or on the 2005, which is the same price as the 2004). How can this be? Simple. When the wine was released three years ago, it debuted to grandiose hoopla as Anne-Claude Leflaive's first foray into the Macon. The winery made a big deal about the 2004 Macon-Verze (to justify the high price) but it could not live up to the hype. It was over-sulfured and made in a high-extract/Sauvignon-like style that was more reminiscent of Bongran or Friuli than of a typical Macon wine (the wine is indeed 100% Chardonnay). The "stink" on the nose never blew off and the wine was left to settle at Leflaive's cellar to allow the components to integrate. Unfortunately for the 2004, it was followed by 2005 and 2007 (two excellent vintages) and everyone forgot about the 2004. When tasted last November (2008), the sulfur still dominated but a very interesting composition began to emerge underneath. I tabled the wine for another year, and now - nearly three years after release, we have a gem on our hands. The "stink" has subsided and in its place a more classic composition typical of the 2004 vintage has emerged - one that spills minerality and medium weight extract into a delicate and floral persona. What was written off by most may now represent one of the heists of the year - it's more than worth the experiment: If you enjoy Bourgogne Blanc or value priced white Burgundy, this carries the Leflaive attention to detail with a strict BIO/organic winemaking philosophy that is admirable. At this price, I should probably leave it at that. FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 24/person until we run out This parcel has never moved since its arrival in the US - it's been cellar-aged and is now ready to be enjoyed: 2004 Domaine Leflaive Macon-Verze Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg6712