« Au croisement des terroirs de Bourgogne est né Esprit Leflaive. »
“Esprit Leflaive was born at the crossroads of the terroirs of Burgundy.”
Pierre Vincent, Winemaker & General Manager
Brice and Pierre
We are thrilled to launch the inaugural 2018 vintage of Esprit Leflaive.
Esprit Leflaive is a brand new venture between Brice de La Morandière, Leflaive family incumbent and head of Domaine Leflaive, and the highly respected Pierre Vincent, Leflaive’s winemaker and general manager since 2017.
This audacious push beyond Leflaive’s Côte de Beaune heartland and holdings in the Mâconnais sees the PulignyMontrachet-based domaine advance on the Côte de Nuits and Chablis, adding new realms of Pinot Noir to its alreadyconquered empire of Chardonnay.
Although Leflaive is no stranger to innovation, what sets Esprit Leflaive apart is its highly personal nature, uniting the talents of Brice and Pierre, and its uncompromising reach for the very highest of levels. Working closely with trusted vigneron partners, in the ‘spirit of Leflaive’, as suggested by the name (and evocative labels) …and yet something else entirely.
Rather than being released en primeur, these wines have already embarked on their development in bottle, a qualityled move which allows us the luxury of assessing them in youth rather than gestation.
It is impossible not to fall in love with the succulence and generosity of the 2018 vintage here, especially when combined with grands crus such as Corton-Charlemagne and, in Pinot Noir, Corton Les Grandes Lolières. Other stand-outs include the Chablis 1er Cru Fourchame and, arguably the unmissable picks of the offer, the duo from Pouilly-Fuissé, made in the image of Puligny.
This is the beginning of something special. Don’t say you weren’t warned!
GUY SEDDONThe winter of 2017-18 was moderately cold, with occasional sub-zero morning temperatures. Accompanied by high humidity, this regularly dusted the vines with what Brice calls “a beautiful white coating of snow”.
March was also cool, nature struggling to awaken. It finally jolted into consciousness in the warmth of early April. The rains were plentiful in May and June, although a temporary respite allowed flowering to go through quickly and unscathed in early June. The water table was full at this point and the heat of the day did not allow any moisture to settle, protecting the nascent berries.
Late June onwards was hot: between the last week of June and the end of August, temperatures regularly exceeded 30°C, including in the Côte de Beaune. Harvest took place amid bright and relatively cool weather. Brice said that once the juice was in tank, the yields “surprised us, considering the scorching summer”.
It is tempting to jump to conclusions about ‘warm’ vintages – the abundance of fruit hiding the terroir and so on – but, as was the case for the domaine wines, this is not at all the case here. Alcohol levels are modest (13-13.5%) and acids are fresh and precise. A highly impressive statement of intent.
As Brice de La Morandière says, the 2018 vintage was “a pleasant surprise, for its abundant quantity as well as its exceptionally high quality.”
Detail is everything in the Esprit Leflaive label and bottle designs. Using the WID app, you can scan individual labels and cases to unlock not just information about the wine but the provenance chain for the specific bottle you hold in your hands.
The eagle-eyed may notice that the Esprit Leflaive crest is a mirror image of Domaine Leflaive’s. The iconic yellow capsules have been replaced by gunmetal grey-blue.
Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.
Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.
WHITE WINES
Pouilly-Fuissé, Savigny, the hill of Corton and even Chablis. The Esprit whites are an eclectic bunch, the unifying thread being the best in class, wherever that may be (that sounds like the C&B buying mantra, in fact…) As Pierre Vincent’s team is responsible for some of the most sought-after Chardonnays in the world, this makes for an exciting exploration of their environs.
Planted in 1970, this 0.43 hectare plot of the admired Chablis premier cru Fourchaume is south west-facing, with deep clay-limestone kimmeridgian soils. White peach fruit and a touch of marzipan on the nose, along with that wonderful Chablis oyster shell typicity. The palate is cool and focused, showing its lean, mineral side much more when tasted in October 2022 than the previous March. This is an exciting rendering of the warm 2018 season, capturing a tantalising glimpse of ripe fruit without sacrificing the acid core and texture of Chablis. Aged for one year in large, 650L oak barrels and concrete egg-shaped vats, then for six months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. 2,988 bottles and 120 magnums have been produced.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2029
£395 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £420 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
This comes from two clay-limestone plots in Chaintré, in the south of the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation, totalling 0.98 hectares. The original date of plantation was 1951. Smoky-mineral aromas, hay and fine white peach fruit. More than a passing resemblance to PulignyMontrachet here! The palate is flinty and strict on the entry, quickly opening onto a mid-palate of frankly delicious stone-fruit and fleshy amplitude. A clear pick! Harvested by the Leflaive team, with a year’s ageing in oak, 15% of which is new, followed by six months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. 6,420 bottles and 120 magnums have been produced.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2026
£325 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £350 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
This single-vineyard Pouilly-Fuissé comes from a 1.12 hectare east-facing, early ripening plot in Chaintré, planted in 1950. As of the 2020 vintage, it is a premier cru. Chalky-mineral aromas, with white flower perfume and cedary spice. Whereas the palate was taut and knuckled-down in March 2022, by October, it was more open and seductive than the previous wine, with all the forthright expressiveness you hope for in high-quality Pouilly-Fuissé. Aged for one year in oak barrels (15% new) then six months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. 7,080 bottles and 96 magnums have been produced.
Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2027
£395 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £420 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
This 0.43 hectare plot faces north east, towards the hill of Corton. Aromas of white pepper and cedary spice, with excitingly rich white peach. The palate is lush and exuberant, perhaps the most ‘2018’ of the whites so far, pliant and welcoming. Only the particularly hardhearted would not fall in love with this wine… which also has quite enough backbone and acid structure for the purists. Pithy and gently grippy on the finish, adding shape. Aged for one year in oak barrels (15-20% new) then six months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. 2,958 bottles and 120 magnums have been produced.
Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2027
£495 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £520 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
Planted in 1993, this tiny south east-facing plot is just 0.11 hectares in size. Soils are Jurassic marl, silt and limestone. Mineral and stony aromas, perhaps harking back to a previous era of Bonneau du Martray. The palate is aciddriven and taut, nervy and stony-mineral, with fine white peach and pear fruit. Hard to believe this is from the warm 2018 season – very elegantly made, with lingering white flower perfume and fine chalky texture. Aged for one year in oak barrels then six months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. Just 527 bottles have been made.
Recommended drinking from 2024 - 2034
£1,500 / Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK
Pierre Vincent’s experience with Pinot Noir dates back to his period as winemaker of the highly respected Domaine de la Vougeraie. These are joyful, expressive reds, thanks both to the natural exuberance of the 2018 season and the sensitive use of whole bunch fermentation in the Pommard and Corton.
This is a blend of two plots in Premeaux, southern NuitsSaint-Georges, totalling 1.15 hectares, with an average date of planting of 1955. Pure, dark-berried aromas, with roses, peonies and cedary spice. The palate’s peppery winter berries are highlighted by fine fruitcoated tannins. Fresh acidity sustains the blackberry and raspberry flavours through to a long finish. 100% destemmed, this corner of the appellation having been hailed three times in the 2018 vintage. The yield is a resultingly tiny 20hl/ha, after rigorous selection. 13.5% abv. 1,705 bottles and 120 magnums have been produced.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2033
£625 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £650 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
Located in the Ladoix-Serrigny sector of the hill of Corton, Les Grandes Lolières is effectively a continuation of Bressandes, facing south-east. It is thought the name derives from the wolves (loups in French) who used to cut through this vineyard. This is a 0.35 hectare plot planted in 1953. Darkly berried, cool-fruited aromas, very focused. The palate is more expansive, with sweet berries and creamy density on the attack, opening onto a mid-palate of rich raspberry and wild strawberry fruit, beneath which lies that dark rocky bedrock of Corton and deftly fruit-coated tannins. 80% whole bunch fermentation. This was aged for 15 months in oak barrels (30% new) then for three months in stainless steel vats. 13% abv. Just three barrels were made, translating into 976 bottles.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2024 - 2039
£1,500 / Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK
One of the prime sites of Pommard, 1er Cru Les Arvelets is a gently sloping vineyard whose clay-limestone soils are rich in iron oxide. This wine comes from a 0.98 hectare plot planted in 1958, on the northern hillside, facing south. It is farmed organically. Pristine dark berry aromas with beguiling exotic spices, thanks to 70% whole bunch fermentation. The palate is a seductress – not a term commonly applied to Pommard, admittedly – but the innate power of the terroir here has been rendered so elegantly in sweet raspberry fruits and framed by perfume-infused tannins that it goes above and beyond. 13% abv. 1,631 bottles and 60 magnums have been produced.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18
Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2037
£795 / Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £820 / Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.
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