Domaine Anne-Claude Leflaive (Burgundy)(2)
By 2009-3-4 15:08:42
Domaine Leflaive : the courtyardAnne-Claude Leflaive hadn't preconceived ideas when she decided to change the vineyard management toward a chemical-free farming, she yearned for a healthy vineyard rooted in a living soil and this led her to meet other people who had been experimenting in this direction, people like Claude Bourguignon. Like other growers before her, she conducted side by side basic-organic farming experiments and biodynamic ones, and the trials were repeatedly in favor of the latter, including for most of the (blind) tasting of the wines. So after an initial trial on 5% of her surface (one hectare split on Houlières, les Grands Champs, 1er Cru Clavoillon and Grand-Cru Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet) she decided to switch progressively all the vineyards toward this viticulture management.
The vat roomOur visit was a rehearsal for a later, longer visit and we met only shortly Anne-Claude Leflaive who was on her way to an appointment. We were received first by régisseur Eric Remy who presented the estate, and later by Antoine Lepetit (to taste the wines), who now works at Domaine Leflaive after having discovered biodynamie at Domaine Zind-Humbrecht when he quit his consulting position for industrial groups in Paris.
The estate is planted with Chardonnay only, Anne-Claude Leflaive is a white-wine vintner. All the vineyards are on Puligny-Montrachet with the exception of the one at Blagny, where a Meursault 1er Cru "Sous le Dos d'Âne" is grown. Before, this particular plot was planted with Pinot Noir and it was uprooted and replanted with Chardonnay in 2002. The estate produces 30 000 bottles in Villages Appellations, then come the 1er Crus wines, the biggest being le Clavoillon (4,8 hectares or 90% of the climat), les Combettes (Meursault - 3 plots), les Folatières, les Pucelles (2 plots). Then come the Grands Crus : Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet (a higher, white-clays terroir) and Montrachet (a very small plot - 8,5 ares or 1/1,5 cask).
From wineterroirs.com
