Leflaive Domaine Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet(2004)

even harvested. We had a normal véraison at the end of July but then August was rainy, indeed we had rain that fell on fully 20 different days. This swelled the bunches but despite the relatively big crop, by delaying the beginning of the harvest until September 25th, we realized very good sugars at around 13.2%. It required 9 1/2 days to pick the crop versus only 4 in 2003 and we picked until the 3rd of October and the last time we finished a harvest in October was in 1991. One of the reasons it took so long to harvest was the excruciating sorting that was necessary in almost every parcel to make sure that we got the best and cleanest fruit. There was a tremendous amount of malic acid and the wines were impossible to taste before the malos finished and when they did finish, I was surprised by how much oxygen they needed. I stirred the lees for a bit longer than usual to help fatten the mid-palates. Because of the late malos and how much the wines continue to improve, I don't believe that we will bottle before June as opposed to our usual March or April dates. I have included a note here from Leflaive's new 9 ha domaine in the Mâconnais that is run by a cousin of director Anne-Claude Leflaive. The élevage is currently being done in Puligny in the old Chartron et Trebuchet facility. Note that the wines will be sold under the Domaine Joseph Leflaive label. (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; John Armit Wines, Corney & Barrow, Lea & Wheeler, Richard Walford, Justerini & Brooks and Tanners, all UK). Note: from 45 year old vines, which are the oldest vines of the Domaine Noticeable reduction does not detract unduly from the hallmark honeysuckle aromas that lead to tight, backward and vibrant medium-bodied plus flavors that possess real richness, volume and more structure than I typically find yet the balance is absolutely impeccable. The vibrancy and energy here are most impressive and this should be quite a wine but don't even think about opening a bottle for at least a decade as this is very tightly wound at present.    (hide)

production. We also did very long and slow primary fermentations that I believe added greatly to the sense of mid-palate fat that the wines have. There was a tremendous amount of malic acid and the wines were frankly tough to judge early on. And because the wines are not super dense, I was very careful during their élevage and severely limited the amount of new oak and did almost no bâtonnage at all. Now that many of them are in bottle, it's clear that 2004 is a lovely vintage that is fruity yet elegant if not overly concentrated and it's beautifully transparent. If you can't see and taste the differences between the underlying terroirs in a vintage like this then you're not ever going to. Not withstanding Grux' comments that their 2004s are not overly concentrated, I would say that as a group this is as good as anything that I have seen from them, particularly among the Meursault and Puligny portfolios and there are several lovely examples from Chablis as well. (Frederick Wildman and Sons, New York, NY; Corney & Barrow, Lay & Wheeler and Haynes, Hanson & Clark). Not surprisingly, this is much more primary and reserved than the preceding bottled wines with discreet notes of pain grillé, honeysuckle and citrus that continue onto the round but powerful and admirably focused medium weight plus flavors that are classy, fine and fresh if not super concentrated. Still, this is a beautifully balanced effort that clearly will reward patience.    (hide)

even harvested. We had a normal véraison at the end of July but then August was rainy, indeed we had rain that fell on fully 20 different days. This swelled the bunches but despite the relatively big crop, by delaying the beginning of the harvest until September 25th, we realized very good sugars at around 13.2%. It required 9 1/2 days to pick the crop versus only 4 in 2003 and we picked until the 3rd of October and the last time we finished a harvest in October was in 1991. One of the reasons it took so long to harvest was the excruciating sorting that was necessary in almost every parcel to make sure that we got the best and cleanest fruit. There was a tremendous amount of malic acid and the wines were impossible to taste before the malos finished and when they did finish, I was surprised by how much oxygen they needed. I stirred the lees for a bit longer than usual to help fatten the mid-palates. Because of the late malos and how much the wines continue to improve, I don't believe that we will bottle before June as opposed to our usual March or April dates. I have included a note here from Leflaive's new 9 ha domaine in the Mâconnais that is run by a cousin of director Anne-Claude Leflaive. The élevage is currently being done in Puligny in the old Chartron et Trebuchet facility. Note that the wines will be sold under the Domaine Joseph Leflaive label. (Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; John Armit Wines, Corney & Barrow, Lea & Wheeler, Richard Walford, Justerini & Brooks and Tanners, all UK). Note: from 45 year old vines, which are the oldest vines of the Domaine This had still not completely finished its malo though Morey indicated that it was more than 90% complete. As one would expect from a wine at this stage, there were strong reduction and malic notes yet the hallmark honeysuckle aromas, if faint, were still discernable. The flavors are unusually flashy with real richness, volume and more structure than I typically find even accounting for the remaining malic acidity. The vibrancy and energy here are most impressive and this should be quite a wine.    (hide)