OLIVIER LEFLAIVE 2020 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
“Un millésime AUGUSTE (dans tous les sens!)” - ‘An AUGUST vintage, (in every sense of the word!)’ Franck Grux Technical Director, Maison Olivier Leflaive
OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
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2020 VINTAGE
INTRODUCTION
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Maison Olivier Leflaive was founded in 1984. Since then, this small Burgundy house has built an impressive business, becoming a highly respected name with a worldwide following.
the Côte Chalonnaise beyond. Some ninety or so ‘official’ cuvées are made every single year, as well as a significant number of small-batch wines made in addition, for certain long-term partners like C&B.
In 2006, Olivier was fortunate to find in Jean Soubeyrand, a future CEO with the business nous and enterprise to successfully navigate the challenges of this extraordinary region. Every year, demand for high quality grapes outstrips supply, and ownership of the land is as fraught as it is fragmented.
These remarkable achievements are directly attributable to the dedication of Olivier Leflaive’s technical team Franck Grux and Philippe Grillet. Over the years, they have built an impressive network of long-standing partnerships with over a hundred quality-minded growers, the length and breadth of the region. Franck and Philippe work hand-inglove with their vignerons, often taking complete charge of the vineyards through the vine cycle, as they do Olivier’s own fifteen hectares on the Côte. In other instances, they will advise on specific aspects only, like pruning or shoot positioning. And in all cases, they will take charge of harvest entirely.
Fast-forward fifteen years and Olivier Leflaive is a thriving concern. While white Burgundies remain the heart and soul of the business, the company has pushed into other areas too. These include an increased focus on red wine production, enhanced by a dedicated chai for red wines, as well as the creation of a Champagne house in the Côte des Blancs. Investment in the hospitality business has also been significant, with the expansion and renovation of Olivier’s award-winning hotel-restaurant on the Place du Monument in Puligny-Montrachet. So, this is a diversified, dynamic business, aspiring, thinking forward. This may risk sounding ‘corporate’, but there is no cringeworthy outsidethebox-squarethecircleideacascade going on here. Rather, this is a no-nonsense family business, run by a small, tight-knit team, with an eye to the future but feet firmly on the ground. The pursuit of quality is at the heart of everything. Recent years in particular, have seen Olivier Leflaive garner increasing critical acclaim for quality and stylistic clarity. This is no small achievement, particularly given the astounding number of different wines in the range. A visit to Olivier Leflaive’s website will take you on a virtual odyssey of Burgundy’s appellations and lieux-dits, from Chablis in the north, down to the Côte de Beaune and to
In the run-up, the two men will walk the vineyards endlessly, evaluating ripeness parcel by parcel, planning and re-working the picking schedule with military precision. Franck has always been maniacal about harvest dates and for good reason - there is an optimal moment to pick, when phenolic maturity has been reached, with sugars and acidities in perfect balance. But this can be a terrifyingly narrow window, the potential to miss it huge, and the consequences also. Capturing those acids before they plunge is vital, and in fact Franck would rather pick slightly earlier, than risk losing all-important acidity. Freshness, fraîcheur: the cornerstone of the Olivier Leflaive style, the structural backbone that makes the mouth water. This is also about terroir. When fruit concentration and acidities come into focus, the ‘sense of place’ has a chance to shine - in the right hands. And where technical discipline dovetails with an intuitive sensitivity to the intrinsic subtleties of vintage and village, both can be honoured. We see this clearly in the wines of the 2020 vintage.
To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
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Olivier Leflaive
OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
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2020 VINTAGE
A note on the 2020 vintage offer: First, the good news: 2020 is a classic: a benchmark vintage, everything in dimension, ‘just right’. The wines are beautifully balanced, expressive and defined, with a clear sense of place.
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The less good news, I am afraid, concerns availability. You will notice that the offer is shorter than usual, and a number of our favourite wines are missing. The reason for this is due not only to the small volumes of the 2020 vintage but also to the complications of the forthcoming 2021 vintage. A few months ago, as we were entering discussions with the Olivier Leflaive team regarding volumes of the 2020 vintage, a severe frost swept much of France, devastating vineyards in many regions including Burgundy, where damage was severe, and in fact far worse than even the notorious 2016 vintage. As a result, quantities produced will be miniscule, and some wines will not be made at all. As a result, Olivier Leflaive has been forced to limit allocations of the 2020 vintage, to distribute the wines fairly and attempt to bridge the gap in volume left by the future 2021 vintage. We have no option but to do the same. Quantities are so reduced, that availability of some wines in particular is severely limited, and we are unable to offer certain wines at all. Also, I am afraid we do not have sufficient volumes to run our much-loved barrel offer. I am sorry for this, but while we hope for a return to normal volumes with the 2022 vintage in two years’ time, please delight in the 2020s if you can. This is a classic vintage, not to be missed.
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
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OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
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Vineyards
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2020 VINTAGE
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
VINTAGE INSIGHTS The year, according to Franck Grux, doesn’t start on 1st January! Not for a vigneron at any rate, but rather, when the last grape has entered the cellar doors. The autumn and winter months lay the groundwork for the next vintage. Water and heat are the building blocks. The extent to which rains replenish groundwater, and the timing of those rains, will prove critical. In a similar way, the curves and spikes of temperature will push and pull the delicate vine cycle, determining dormancy or triggering hormones for growth. In this way, 2020 was forged, on the back of an extreme vintage; one beset by frost, heat and ultimately drought. Rains were therefore vital to replenish depleted aquifers. Dutifully, they arrived in November and February, topping up the water table as required. Winter was clement too, one of the mildest in 25 years, with very few cold days, prompting an early start to the 2020 season. By early March, buds were swelling on the vines, and by the 25th, some growers on the Côte reported budburst, particularly on certain, warmer mid-slope sites. Then, the F-word: on the 28th, plunging temperatures sent blood pressures soaring. Growers scuttled into the vines clutching bougies (candles), a sight at once familiar and strange due to masks (the WHO had just declared covid-19 a pandemic). The punishing freeze persisted for several days, but thanks to dry soils and low humidity, the vines emerged unscathed and the growers too, albeit a-jangle with adrenaline. The requisite annual frost-scare duly put to bed, weather conditions settled into a spring-time groove. April ushered in luminous sunshine, the mercury rising through the month and beyond. Welcome rains in mid-May replenished dry soils, providing much-needed moisture for the vines to build their canopies. On the downside, the showers disrupted flowering in some sectors, leading to millerandage, and reducing yields.
Fine conditions prevailed through June, a polite warmth that turned up to eleven as July became a full-on furnace. The heatwave led to alarming rates of evapotranspiration from the soil and vines, with precious little rain to mitigate. While yields were affected to some degree, surprisingly the conditions did not seem to delay veraison, which started in mid-July. Franck and Philippe fully expected the vines to shut down, from heatstroke or water stress. But to their great astonishment, the grapes continued to ripen, tempo andante, as if without a care in the world – their sugars and phenolics in uncommon harmony. On 19th August, the technical team called for harvest kickoff, and the pickers stepped to the plate for a PCR test alongside their welcome glass. Red tape tied up in a neat paquet-cadeau, in went the harvest teams on 21st August; fortuitous timing, stealing a march on additional covid restrictions. The weather during this time could not have been kinder, and the grapes were harvested in pristine condition, phenolically ripe at optimal sugar levels, and with fine acids. With every last grape in the chai by 31st August, Franck declared with a grin ‘un millésime auguste, dans tous les sens!’ (‘an August vintage, in every sense of the word!’) The resulting wines are classics, finely-wrought: aromatically expressive, elegant and precise, true to their appellation and site. Wines from the best sites will also evolve beautifully. Of course, you will ask us to reference comparable vintages, in recent or past times, to help you orient. So of course, we go straight to the Oracle. Franck points to recent vintages such as 2017, or in particular, 2014. Looking back to earlier decades, he would highlight 1985 or – for him the most accurate comparison of all – 1988.
REBECCA PALMER August 2021
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OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
CHABLIS
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2020 proved uneventful for the chablisiens, an event in itself! The growing season was relatively straightforward, untroubled by frost (rare!) or disease. Water stress was the only notable issue, due to scant rainfall in May and June, so much so that by July, some vineyard sectors were wilting. August saved the day though, with a number of ‘goldilocks’ showers - just enough, not too much! – to reboot the ripening process. Franck and his team were astounded by the quality and balance of the grapes at harvest! The resulting wines are terrific: beautifully balanced and emphatically Chablis in style, with inviting orchard fruit offset by a core of minerally acid, energetic and uplifting.
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2020 VINTAGE
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
CHABLIS LES DEUX RIVES
Les Deux Rives, meaning ‘the two banks’ in English, refers to those of the river Serein, that bisects Chablis. The wine is Franck’s signature Chablis, blending grapes from sites close to the premiers crus of Vaillons, Côte de Lechet and Vaucopins, from four highly reputed growers. The parcels were picked early, with a view to obtaining freshness and typicity: ‘un vin à la fois digestif et représentatif’. The nose is classic: fragrant with pear, and a petrichor note of hot earth after rain. Taut and fresh, with pure minerally acids and the signature Chablis twist of iodine on the finish. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 Recommended drinking from 2021-2025 Estimated arrival UK: November 2021 £189/CASE OF 12 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
CHABLIS GRAND CRU VAUDÉSIR
Vaudésir is a glorious site: a south, south-west facing amphitheatre that favours ripeness, and is protected from northerly winds. Its unique topography and claylimestone soils yield some of the most elegant wines of all grands crus, balancing richness with mineral freshness. The 2020 is the fruit of three tiny vineyards, vinified separately in large old barrels before blending. Fragrant with white flowers and the familiar chablisien tang, the palate is concentrated, layering soft ripe pears and crème fraiche with firm, savoury acids. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5-19 Recommended drinking from 2022-2028 Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2022 £275/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
To Order LONDON
020 7265 2430 EMAIL
sales@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.
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OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
CÔTE DE BEAUNE
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After a mild winter, early budburst put vignerons on tenterhooks as they calculated the likelihood of spring frost and the potential consequences. To everyone’s great relief, despite a cold snap at the end of March, the Côte de Beaune was spared serious frost damage in 2020 (no such luck in 2021, sadly!), and despite a few issues at flowering, the future crop set well. However, the lack of rain was problematic – this was the driest growing season since 1945, according to the Dijon Weather Station: half the amount of a ‘normal’ year, and just 3-5mm (a reduction of 90%) during the critical first three weeks of August. At the same time, it was sunnier and warmer than usual. These factors in combination led to significant evaporation from the grapes, reducing yields considerably. Despite the heat and drought, the grapes continued to ripen evenly, attaining phenolic ripeness at perfect sugar levels. The resulting wines are aromatically expressive, rich but without excess, balanced by fine, firm acids. Elegant and precise, they are true to their appellation and site.
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2020 VINTAGE
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ
Aligoté shines from these old vines, harvested comparatively late in pursuit of concentration and depth. This wine is a blend from very old vineyards (60 years+) in Corpeau, (Olivier’s own vineyard) as well as two in Puligny and Meursault. 20% of the blend is aged in large oak barrels, amplifying palate volume while adding subtle flavour nuance. This is an expressive Aligoté, energetic with citrus and apple-pear fruit, its silky texture complemented by precise acids, the familiar twist of almond to finish. Corney & Barrow Score 18+ Recommended drinking from 2021-2024 Estimated arrival UK: November 2021 £115/CASE OF 12 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PERNAND-VERGELESSES
Olivier’s Pernand-Vergelesses comes from two terroirs Les Combottes, on the mid-slope, and Les Pins, higher up the hill, both exceptional sites yielding ripe fruit with fine, chalky acids. The 2020 is poised and stylish, fermented in barrel with a judicious proportion of new oak (18%), to enhance aromatic and textural complexity. The nose is classic Pernand-Vergelesses, flirting with flint and jasmine; the palate is expressive and concentrated, silky in texture with precise acids. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+ Recommended drinking from 2022–2025 Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2022 £165/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET LES MEIX
A long-time favourite of the Corney & Barrow team, we buy almost every single bottle made. This is a fantastic climat with impeccable pedigree, located just beneath premier cru Les Pucelles. The wine is made from two mature parcels, one of which, planted in 1961, belongs to Olivier, the other to an old friend. The 2020 vintage has produced a classic Les Meix with great typicity, a factor partly of particularly low yields. Tangy and perfumed, with sleek, stony fruit and scintillating minerals, the wine is laser fine and precisely structured, true to its site. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 Recommended drinking from 2022–2026+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2022 £295/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
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OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET LES BLANCHOTS Olivier Lelaive’s Blanchots always shines. The site seems to have a special quality; in fact, Blanchots once fell within the confines of Bâtard-Montrachet, until the boundaries were redrawn in 1921, a factor partly of soil diversity within the vineyard. The grapes come from a small parcel of vines with super-fine, calcareous soils, abutting Les Criots. The vintage favoured the Blanchots site, yielding grapes with exceptional ripeness balanced by exquisite acidities. Perfumed and expressive, Blanchots 2020 is dynamic and fine, with ripe, toned fruit and a silky palate laced with hazelnuts and minerals. In a class of its own. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5-19 Recommended drinking from 2022–2026+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2022
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2020 VINTAGE
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU ABBAYE DE MORGEOT ‘RÉCOLTE DU DOMAINE’ One of Olivier Leflaive’s flagship wines, from an historic site. The vineyards are on deep, blue clay soils with seams of limestone. 2020 has yielded a spectacular Morgeot, sophisticated and intense. The wine, fermented in barrel (of which 26% new) was surprisingly slow to ferment and is still in élevage, but the most recent tasting (August 2020) revealed an exceptional wine, complex and complete, with a latent energy and rich, multi-layered palate. Corney & Barrow Score 19 Recommended drinking from 2023–2028+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2023 £395/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£270/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
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MEURSAULT CLOS DU CROMIN
MEURSAULT 1ER CRU LE PORUSOT ‘RÉCOLTE DU DOMAINE’
An old Meursault site with a long history, Clos du Cromin is a traditional walled vineyard situated in the far north of the village, bordering Volnay. Olivier’s Clos du Cromin has the richness expected of Meursault, but the wine is always elegant, with a palpable sense of freshness. The 2020 is expressive, silky and refined with ripe poached pears and crème pâtissière, laced with spice. Catch this wine while you can… due to the frosts that hit the region in the spring, there will be no 2021 vintage.
Le Porusot was the very first vineyard Olivier purchased, a narrow sloping vineyard with deep clay soils. Now 65 years old, the vines offer up tiny yields of super concentrated fruit, and in 2020 yields were even lower than usual. Fermented in barrel, with 28% of the blend in new oak. Sexy and inviting with its dark jasmine scent, Porusot offers complex creamy layers of subtle pear fruit and a deep, mineral core. Rich and refined.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+ Recommended drinking from 2022–2026+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2022
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5-19 Recommended drinking from 2023–2028+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2023 £380/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£265/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES REFERTS The lieu-dit of Les Referts, just below the premier cru of Combettes, lies on the boundary with Meursault (in fact Meursault Charmes is just over the road), and there is something of the Meursault richness here, albeit with a classic cut. The watchword here is elegance, refined by fermentation in 25% new oak. Perfumed and sleek, with ripe fruits and tangy mineral acids, this is a graceful Referts, with subtle power and great poise. Corney & Barrow Score 18.5-19 Recommended drinking from 2023–2028+ Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2023 £425/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
To Order LONDON
020 7265 2430 EMAIL
sales@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.
To find out more about Corney & Barrow visit www.corneyandbarrow.com
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INDEPENDENT WINE MERCHANTS SINCE 1780
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OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
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2020 VINTAGE
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