Domaine Leflaive
2007 Chevalier-MontrachetGrand Cru White barrel
Score: 92-95
Tasted: Jul 01, 2009
Drink: 2015+
Issue: 35
Don’t miss!
Producer note: Eric Remy, who replaced Pierre Morey (see below) as the domaine’s régisseur (estate manager), told me that 2007 began with a “relatively mild winter which continued into an unusually warm and clement April, where temperatures exceeded 90° F. As such, the vegetative cycle was kick-started and during this period, the only problem that we had was an April hail storm that hit the vineyards of Montrachet, Bâtard and Chevalier but the damage was minor. The flowering occurred between the 15th and the 20th of May, which is extremely early by usual standards. The summer turned cool and humid however, which slowly began taking back some of the early maturity that we had gained in April and May. There was some mildew pressure in June but as long as you treated, it really wasn’t much of a problem. We began picking on the first of September and brought in completely clean fruit with sugars that averaged 12.5 to 13.5%. We chaptalized some wines about .25% and others not at all. In terms of the wines, I wouldn’t call 2007 the best that I’ve ever seen but they’re close and should age extremely well.” I asked Remy what the current policy was chez Leflaive on free SO2 at bottling and he told me that he shoots for a range of between 25 and 28 ppm. As to the Leflaive ’06s that are now in bottle, some of them exhibit the exotic aromas noted last year from cask but importantly, with better acidity than other past vintages where the Leflaive wines have displayed such aromas, in particular 1983, 1986 and 1992. All three of those vintages have aged exceptionally well and I have given the Leflaive ’06s very solid scores. Stylistically however, you should be aware of the exotic fruit aromas and then choose according to your preferences as some love this character and others do not. Not surprisingly, the Chevalier is perhaps the most classic among the wines reviewed due to the natural coolness of its terroir. (Wilson & Daniels, www.wilsondaniels.com, St. Helena, CA; John Armit Wines, www.armit.co.uk, Corney & Barrow, www.corneyandbarrow.com, Lay & Wheeler, www.laywheeler.com, Richards Walford, www.r-w.co.uk, Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com and Tanners Wine, www.tanners-wines.co.uk, all UK).
Tasting note: A strikingly complex nose that is even more complex than that of the Bâtard as there is a great breadth of aromas to the ripe, pure and airy nose of white flower, spice and subtle pear aromas that complement to perfection the rich and mouth coating flavors built on a base of fine minerality, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish that oozes dry extract. This is really a lovely effort that is almost as powerful as the Bâtard but as one would expect, finer and even a bit longer with an almost painfully intense backend. A very impressive effort.
Domaine Leflaive, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
US$9,000 / 每箱價格
Domaine Leflaive
2007 Chevalier-MontrachetGrand Cru White barrel
Score: 92-95
Tasted: Jul 01, 2009
Drink: 2015+
Issue: 35
Don’t miss!
Producer note: Eric Remy, who replaced Pierre Morey (see below) as the domaine’s régisseur (estate manager), told me that 2007 began with a “relatively mild winter which continued into an unusually warm and clement April, where temperatures exceeded 90° F. As such, the vegetative cycle was kick-started and during this period, the only problem that we had was an April hail storm that hit the vineyards of Montrachet, Bâtard and Chevalier but the damage was minor. The flowering occurred between the 15th and the 20th of May, which is extremely early by usual standards. The summer turned cool and humid however, which slowly began taking back some of the early maturity that we had gained in April and May. There was some mildew pressure in June but as long as you treated, it really wasn’t much of a problem. We began picking on the first of September and brought in completely clean fruit with sugars that averaged 12.5 to 13.5%. We chaptalized some wines about .25% and others not at all. In terms of the wines, I wouldn’t call 2007 the best that I’ve ever seen but they’re close and should age extremely well.” I asked Remy what the current policy was chez Leflaive on free SO2 at bottling and he told me that he shoots for a range of between 25 and 28 ppm. As to the Leflaive ’06s that are now in bottle, some of them exhibit the exotic aromas noted last year from cask but importantly, with better acidity than other past vintages where the Leflaive wines have displayed such aromas, in particular 1983, 1986 and 1992. All three of those vintages have aged exceptionally well and I have given the Leflaive ’06s very solid scores. Stylistically however, you should be aware of the exotic fruit aromas and then choose according to your preferences as some love this character and others do not. Not surprisingly, the Chevalier is perhaps the most classic among the wines reviewed due to the natural coolness of its terroir. (Wilson & Daniels, www.wilsondaniels.com, St. Helena, CA; John Armit Wines, www.armit.co.uk, Corney & Barrow, www.corneyandbarrow.com, Lay & Wheeler, www.laywheeler.com, Richards Walford, www.r-w.co.uk, Justerini & Brooks, www.justerinis.com and Tanners Wine, www.tanners-wines.co.uk, all UK).
Tasting note: A strikingly complex nose that is even more complex than that of the Bâtard as there is a great breadth of aromas to the ripe, pure and airy nose of white flower, spice and subtle pear aromas that complement to perfection the rich and mouth coating flavors built on a base of fine minerality, all wrapped in a sappy and mouth coating finish that oozes dry extract. This is really a lovely effort that is almost as powerful as the Bâtard but as one would expect, finer and even a bit longer with an almost painfully intense backend. A very impressive effort.
