Olivier Leflaive 2015's with Franck Grux...

Each year we are delighted to welcome Franck Grux to London to do a tasting of the, just to be released, vintage from Olivier Leflaive, last year it was the 2014s so of course this year it follows that it is the 2015s. Franck speaks with incredible passion and has been at Olivier's right hand for many many years now.

This year we started with a new project, a Champagne. This is a Blanc de Blancs from Avize made as a joint project between Olivier and Erick de Sousa in so much as Erick is a shareholder. The name comes from the fact that both men have sons called Valentin.

Champagne Valentin, Olivier Leflaive - This sees 4 years on the lees and is a minute production of only about 7000 bottles. The dosage is low, but not painfully so, at 4.5g. I liked the style. Good richness, butter, toast and shortbread but with freshness and drive. The plate finished with a little cashew nut. I really look forward to following this wine and project over the years.

Now we were onto the 2015 vintage tasting. There is a very thorough and opinionated vintage report  by Franck and Philippe Grillet to be found HERE.

Bourgogne Aligoté Récolte du Domaine - Very primary, pear then really quite rasping but not acidic, the palate is more open and easy with a clean, if indistinct, finish.

Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles - Citrus, rich nose but not OTT, good salty bite, nice volume to the palate, almost ready to go. This comes from as many as 75 vineyards, split roughly 60/40 between Puligny and Meursault.

Montagny 1er Cru  Bonneveaux - from a parcel with vines in the 40-45 years old range. 90% Barrel aged and 10% tank. Very light colour, good generous palate with less easily defined aromas. Lime rather than lemon, a good wine, less volume that the Les Setilles right now. Good.

Rully 1er Cru Rabourcé - Ripe lemon and rounded citrus, good acidity and drive, lovely wine. Always comes from the same four vineyards. 85% Barrel aged and 15% tank.

Pernand-Vergelesses - 6 different suppliers contribute here. 100% barrel. Very classy nose, complex, gives off the impression of a cooler site (which it is). Steely with a classy length...

Auxey-Duresses la Macabrée - An interesting combination of 60% old vines and 40% younger vines. 100% barrel of which 20% is new. A little more battonage too. Lemon and some honey, good depth and weight which hints towards the mini-Meursault that this is. It comes from three contracts and the sites are next to Meursault Les Luchets and Les Vireuils. A good buy.

Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir - A little "good greenness", stones and limes. This does see barrel fermentation but no new wood at all. This is a shade neutral at this early stage but then that is no surprise.  

Meursault Clos du Cromin - 11 barrels go into making this. 100% barrel, of which 20% are new. No battonage. A little toasty character and a whiff of reduction. Delicious, generous, a little butter, the palate has just enough "zip" to keep this "honest". Cracking wine in 2015.

Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots - This is owned by Olivier Leflaive, the first wine from here for them was 1990. 8 barrels in total. Less, if any, reduction, more focus than the Cromin. More steely, good if a little muted, needs time, got better with air.

Chassagne-Montrachet Les Blanchots - Lime and lemon richness, good balance, nice bit of green drive. The palate has a tautness, nicely done...

Puligny-Montrachet Les Meix -  Always a favourite of mine, this lieu-dit is near both Les Pucelles and Les Enseigneres. A nice bit of toast, more lemon in character, good generosity.

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - Classy, tighter, good refined minerality, serious wine this, focused citrus. An obvious candidate for some ageing. 

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot Récolte du Domaine - Lovely clean freshness here, less non-fruit flavours, good purity. Really lovely length.


A really great tasting with good insights all the way through. The 2015s are clearly good wines. posibly without the poise and drive of the more classic years like 2010 and 2014 but very good and will be lovely to drink while the 2014s are waited for, clearly there is more richness than the nice (in a good way) 2011s and 2013s. 

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The previous night Rebecca, Margaux, Robbie and I had taken Franck to 67 Pall Mall for a relaxed dinner with 4 wines all served blind. Hyde de Villaine Chardonnay 2011, Guru 2011 from Wine & Soul, Contrada "P" (Porcaria) 2012 from Tenuta di Passopisciaro and Barolo Serradenari 2011 from Giulia Negri.

Franck and the lineup!

It was a cracking time spent discussing the wines and much more. Open minded winemakers are certainly the best. I think the wines that surprised Franck the most were the Hyde Chardonnay for its coolness and the Barolo for its elegance. I am looking forward to Francks visit next year already, although it is too long since I have seen him in Puligny so I should do that first.  

Olivier Leflaive 2014's with Franck Grux

This is my notes from a tasting and presentation of the Olivier Leflaive 2014's by the winemaker and Olivier's right hand man Franck Grux. Franck is a great man to listen too as he manages to combine Terroir, humour and realism - a rarity.

One note, these are samples and it is very early to be judging these wines, most Burgundy tasting starts in September following harvest. Scores are therefore very much a loose guide.

Bourgogne Aligote - Primary, very pure, not overtly green on the nose, surprisingly alluring. Gooseberry and green fruits do then appear on the palate but are not sharp, some pear and dry lychee. 15.5

Bourgogne Blanc "Les Setilles" - This sees 10% new oak for ageing. For the fermentation it is 20-30% steel tank and 70-80% is fermented in barrel which can be up to 6 years old. Grapefruit and some yellow fruits. Good weight and presence, lemon citrus on the finish. 16 (+)

Montagny 1er Cru Bonneveaux - Slightly briney, good balanced fruit, white and yellow, a lovely balanced finish, the most complete yet. 16-16.5+

Rully 1er Cru Rabource - From 4-5 producers and 85% barrell fermented (not new oak). Good nose with a little reduction, nicely weighty richness, then a nice mineral palate, pretty special for Rully. 17 (+for value)

Pernand-Verglesses - Good salinity here, great drive and energy, so obviously further north than the Rully. Lemon and lime somehow manage to meld with a lovely oystershell finish. 16.5-17(+)

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly - A village that has seen crazy levels of demand for both land and crop now. 100% barrel fermented. A more yellow fruit flavour, more unctous and rich, a shade reduced, serious again, this sample only finished malolactic fermentation two weeks previously. As always one of the standouts. 17.5

Puligny-Montrachet Les Meix - Olivier owns this along with one other supplier. 100% barrel fermented. More toasted with more sweetness of fruit and intensity, cropped at 38hl/ha rather that the allowed 50. 17.5 

Meursault Narvaux - Saline, quiet closed, more richness and generosity on the palate. Not as easy to judge now. 16.5-17 

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - From two different sites within Referts, 40-50 yrs old. Drier and more serious than Les Meix. Franck reports this is on the Meursault side of Puligny. 100% barrel fermented. 17-17.5+

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot - Always a touch of class here, depth and freshness in equal measure, ripe green fruit. Impressive. 17.5-18

The overall impression at this very early stage is of a vintage with more of everything than the nice but earlier drinking 2011 or 2013. It strikes me as a year with good fruit and texture but also the drive to be classical...encouraging.

Olivier Leflaive 2013's with Olivier and Franck Grux...

Friday before last we had Olivier Leflaive and Franck Grux in town to show the unfinished, but about to be released, 2013's. The 2013 vintage is "small again", not as much work as the  2012's possibly but a poor spring and then a long growing season. For the first time since 1984 Franck said a fair amount of the harvest was in October. Franck said he "prefers the acidity of the 2013 to the 2012"

So to the wines:

Bourgogne Aligote 2013

From mostly the Puligny side. Very low yield. Pear fruit, open, grapey palate but not sharp, decent length, pleasant and poised...15

Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles 2013 named after Olivier's Garden) 66% from "Puligny" and 34% "Meursault". Nice balanced nose not as youthful as sometimes, 70% barrel fermented (old mostly). Almost a bit of kiwi fruit, green but ripe fruit…15.5

Montagny 1er Cru Bonneveaux 2013

A little bit of richness and more opulence, a dash of spritz, southern exposure t the vineyard means more rounded. A little of white fruit. 100% barrel ferment (10-15% tank will be added)...16

Auxey-Duresses La Macabre 2013

Quite like the Montagny but less warmth, more minerality and a dash of Islay peat with a touch of Saline. A high-toned apple freshness on palate. Quite serious…16.5

St.Aubin 1er Cru Dents de Chien 2013

Delicious nose, has a lot of class. A dash of reduction, lovely opulence within a framework, is generous and expressive, nice work...17-17.5

Meursault Clos de Cromin 2013

(Not racked yet) Tiny bit of almost licorice on the nose that goes with any air. Has an austere nose, then a generous palate of roundness and a good dose of yellow fruits, a dash of sweetness on the finish…16.5

Puligny-Montrachet Les Meix 2013

Two thirds owned by Olivier Leflaive and situated just below Les Pucelles. A nervous and classy freshness, citrus concentration, lemon and a good dollop of lime, impressive…17.5

Chassagne-Montrachet Blanchots 2013

Near to Granc Cru "Criots". Ripe green fruit character, a dash of spice, nice and so different to Les Meix...best I can remember from here…17.5

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts 2013
Most northerly of the Puligny 1er Crus. Classy nose, nice generous expression, a little warmth, hard to really judge as a little closed…17-17.75

Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 2013

Good, quite generous and open, lemon but not tart, good length...I like this. 17.75

Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeots 2013
Very complete, may be a shade muted on palate, very ive indeed, balanced, has good potential...not may be showing the most just now. 18.

A very good tasting, it'll be great to do the same in time with the finished wines. Always great to see Olivier and Franck!