Wine Advisor
Leflaive, Bienvenues Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2014
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 Bienvenue Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru has a come-hither bouquet that is very immediate: passion fruit, apricot blossom, cold stone and even a faint touch of strawberry winegums. The palate is well balanced with a keen line of acidity, good weight in the mouth with a touch of citrus lemon and lime, but perhaps just needing more complexity and terroir expression to come through on the finish. This is one of the best 2014 Bienvenues that I have come across -- an absolute delight.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(the grand crus were bottled about two weeks before my visit): Pale, bright yellow. Very subtle, scented aromas of lemon, flowers, noble herbs, white pepper and crushed stone. Sedate and harmonious in the mouth, with terrific intensity and sweetness to its floral and citrus flavors. Not especially fleshy or open-knit but this wine has the balance for a graceful evolution in bottle. Strong lemony acidity draws out the long, subtle, resounding finish.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright, pale yellow. Expressive, highly nuanced nose combines stone fruits, lime blossom, white pepper, honey and crushed stone. Sweet, plush and silky; more glyceral than the Pucelles and showing a rare sucrosité for this grand cru in the early going. Wonderfully fine-grained, harmonious and long on the aftertaste.
About the Producer
Domaine Leflaive, based in Puligny-Montrachet, is one of the most important producers in the Côte de Beaune. Focusing almost entirely on white wines made from Chardonnay, the Domaine makes four grand cru wines and four premier crus in Puligny-Montrachet. The Domaine was founded by Joseph Leflaive, a former engineer. In 1905, he purchased vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet which had been ravaged by phylloxera, and set about replanting and expanding them. Upon his death in 1953, his sons Vincent and Jo took over the running of the estate, and are widely credited with building up the reputation that Leflaive enjoys today. In 1990, cousins Anne Claude and Olivier Leflaive took over the running of the estate, with Olivier leaving in 1994 to run his own negociant business. Anne Claude converted the vineyards to biodynamics and is considered a pioneer of that movement in Burgundy. After her death in 2015, her nephew Brice de la Morandiere has taken over the running of Domaine Leflaive. Domaine Leflaive's most important wine is arguably the Montrachet Grand Cru, which, depending on vintage, can fetch upwards of $5000 a bottle. The domaine also has land in Chevalier-Montrachet, Batard-Montrachet, and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, and makes a grand cru wine from each. Additional to this, there are several premier cru wines, the most important of which is probably the Les Clavoillon, which was one of the wines included in the 1976 Judgment of Paris. Domaine Leflaive also makes a sole red wine from Pinot Noir under the Blagny Sous le Dos d'Ane Premier Cru title.
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