This wine is a pre-arrival, expected arrival this spring.
Domaine Leflaive’s story is one of quiet revolution. Joseph Leflaive, a metallurgical engineer, purchased the estate in 1905, then a struggling collection of vineyards, and began replanting and revitalizing its holdings. Over the following decades, Domaine Leflaive became synonymous with Puligny-Montrachet and the pinnacle of white Burgundy.
Brice de La Morandière, current steward of Domaine Leflaive, was born into the lineage of one of Burgundy’s most revered winemaking families, but his path to Puligny-Montrachet was anything but preordained. A former engineer and businessman, Brice returned to Burgundy in 2008 to lead the domaine established by his great-grandfather, Joseph Leflaive, and to carry forward a legacy built on vision, stewardship, and an uncompromising commitment to quality.
It isn’t just the vines that have evolved over time. Domaine Leflaive has long been a pioneer in biodynamic viticulture, adopting these practices under Anne-Claude Leflaive’s leadership in the 1990s. Her approach—eschewing synthetic chemicals in favor of holistic, earth-first farming—set a benchmark in Burgundy for sustainability and terroir expression. Today, Brice continues this philosophy, blending tradition and innovation to produce wines that are a profound reflection of the land.
Puligny-Montrachet, where Leflaive’s grand and premier crus flourish, is renowned for its calcareous clay soils and perfectly pitched slopes that capture the morning sun. From the ethereal minerality of Chevalier-Montrachet to the rich, enveloping textures of Bâtard-Montrachet, each parcel has its voice, its song. Leflaive’s skill lies in allowing those voices to shine through, crafting wines of purity, complexity, and age-worthy brilliance.
In Brice’s words, the goal is to create “the kind of wine that expresses not just the climate and the season, but the vineyard itself—the wine’s soul.” And Domaine Leflaive’s wines do just that. They are unmistakably Puligny, unmistakably Leflaive: vibrant, mineral-driven chardonnays that sit at the nexus of elegance and power.
94 Vinous
The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er Cru has slightly richer fruit than the Clavaillon. Scents of wild honey infuse the citrus fruit, again, with plenty of energy and tension coming through. The palate is nicely balanced with white peach and apricot, a keen thread of acidity, and a very harmonious, lingering and seductive finish. What a beautiful Folatières!”
— Neal Martin, June 2024
