Dom. Leflaive

Puligny-Montrachet Burgundy, France Leflaive is a tightly knit, proud family who can date their ancestry back to the Middle Ages and speak about the terroir of their land in terms of centuries rather than decades. Patriarch Claude Leflaive established the house in 1717, but the “modern” winemaking started in 1920s with the marriage of Joseph Leflaive, into a vineyard-holding family in Puligny. Illustrious and prestigious by reputation, Domaine Leflaive has set the standard for quality in Puligny since then. In 1994, Anne-Claude, recently graduated with an oenology degree, became managing director of the domaine. Philosophically, Anne-Claude holds that the grape makes the wine, and the health of the crop at harvest determines the quality of resulting wine. It was under her reign that the Domaine converted to Biodynamics in 1989, a practice that supports the living ecosystem surrounding the vine and the vineyard. Using preparations of nettles, chamomile, and other vegetal or mineral substances, Leflaive believes that the results of these efforts are incontestable: as the vines reinforce their individual immunities, the wines gain balance, structure, and profound complexity.