Domaine Leflaive - Puligny Montrachet

1993

The vines' vegetative dormancy period from October to March was characterised by fairly mild temperatures, with rainfall higher than the seasonal norms. From April to July, the weather remained mild. The summer was hot from July to mid-August. Starting in September the weather cooled down, with unpredictable sunshine. The vegetative cycle, particularly for Chardonnay, was longer than usual with later ripening. Very early flowering started on 1 June. The year was marked by heavy attacks of mildew between 15 June and 15 July. At the start of September, beneficial rainfall unblocked ripening. The harvest at Domaine Leflaive took place from 20 to 28 September: earlier than in 1991, but later than in 1989 and 1990. The cool nights prevented the development of botrytis. The wines came into balance following the highly active malolactic fermentation between June and September 1994. These wines are very typical of Puligny-Montrachet's terroir: finesse, freshness, purity, firmness and mineral tones. The 1993s fall within the tradition of wines for ageing.

Puligny-Montrachet

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Stephen Tanzer's Puligny-Montrachet 1993 Floral/herbal nose, with an offputting chlorine-like note. Good precision of flavor and some density on the palate. Seems quite rich for the vintage. Minerally, slightly dry finish. Would have merited a fairly high score except for the off aroma.

Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Stephen Tanzer's Puligny-Montrachet Folatières 1993 Smoke and oak char on the nose. A step up in intensity, with strong but ripe acidity carrying the fruit and giving the wine lovely shape and grip. 88.

Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Stephen Tanzer's Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles 1993 Distinctly oaky, sweet apricot and peach nose. Tightly wound today, with strong acidity, but the wine's spicy kernel of fruit is obvious. Slight note of caramel oak on the back end. Opened quickly in the glass. 88.

Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet 1993 Vinous, smoky, floral nose is nuanced and precise. Quite intensely flavored but very backward, even austere, and hard to assess today. A step up from the premier crus in structure, though. 89.

Bâtard-Montrachet

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Stephen Tanzer's Batard-Montrachet 1993 More expressive, riper, oak chardominated nose. Riper and sweeter in the mouth; already showing lovely apricot and spice flavor. Impressive length for the vintage, with strong spicy oak flavor. 91.

Chevalier-Montrachet

N° 62, Septembre/Octobre 1995 [Les bourgognes blancs 1993] "Domaine Leflaive" Stephen Tanzer's Chevalier-Montrachet 1993 Bright but very ripe aromas of minerals, smoke and oak char Quite different in shape from the Batard, without the sheer size of the previous wine but penetrating, racy, intense and very long. Shows off Chevalier's stonier soil. "A double mineral wine," says Anne-Claude Leflaive, combining the minerality of the vintage and the cru. Again, superb for the vintage, and a wine of evident breed. 91(+?).

Archivist and web designer
Beatrice Leflaive

• Accueil

• 1949

• 1961

• 1969

• 1971

• 1976

• 1977

• 1978

• 1979

• 1980

• 1981

• 1982

• 1983

• 1984

• 1985

• 1986

• 1987

• 1988

• 1989

• 1990

• 1991

• 1992

• 1993

• 1994

• 1995

• 1996

• 1997

• 1997

• 1998

• 1998

• 1998

• 1998

• 1998

• 1998

• 1999

• 2000

• 2000

• 2000

• 2000

• 2001

• 2001

• 2002

• 2002

• 2002

• 2003

• 2003

• 2003

• 2003

• 2004

• 2004

• 2005

• 2006

• News

• Contact

• Distributor

• Spirit

• Gallery

• History

• Vintage

• Press Review

• PressRoom

• Wines

• webdesign