Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate (Neil Martin), writes about the vintage 2014: "Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, Leflaive's 2014 Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Pucelles, which was the first vintage not bottled under cork (Diam "D" to be exact), is quite closed on the bouquet with cold stone and sea cave aromas that blossom with time. The palate is well balanced with a very sappy entry, a fine line of acidity and a crisp, quite spicy and persistent finish. I just think this Caillerets is very backward at the moment and will have more to give once afforded 2-3 years in bottle. This is a scintillating Les Pucelles, and guess what...it's not going to be corked!"

Attributes

Origin:	France / Bourgogne / Côte de Beaune
Grape variety:	Chardonnay
Label:	Certified organic or biodynamic wine
Ripening potential:	2 to 10 years after harvest
Drinking temperature:	10 to 12 °C
Food Pairing:	Whole baked fish, Mild semi-hard cheese, Giant crevettes, grilled langoustines, Moules à la marinière, Risotto ai frutti di mare
Vinification:	fermentation in wooden barrel
Harvest:	hand-picking, strict selection
Maturation:	in steel tank, some months bottle storage before sale
Maturation duration:	6 months
Volume:	13.0 %
Note:	Contains sulphites

Grape variety

Chardonnay

King or beggar?

Hardly any variety of vine shows such a broad spectrum of quality as the Chardonnay. Its wines range from faceless neutrality to breath-taking class. It is an extremely low-maintenance vine, which explains why it is grown around the world – even in places where it probably should not be. The aromas of the Chardonnay variety are not very pronounced: a bit of green apple, a little hazelnut; in warmer latitudes, also melon and exotic fruits. The wines are often defined by maturing in casks. They develop more or less subtle notes of butter, toasted bread and vanilla. The grapes achieve their highest expression in their region of origin, Burgundy. Its heart beats in the Côte de Beaune: one might think of the plant growth of Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet. With their finesse and complexity, they can survive for decades. Chardonnay also achieves first class in some Blanc-de-Blancs champagnes. It additionally yields great wines in the Burgundian Chablis, and increasingly in Australia and Chile. A simple rule of thumb for pairing with food: When butter and cream are involved, you cannot go wrong with Chardonnay.

Subregion

Côte de Beaune

Côte de Beaune: guarantor of elegance

The city of Beaune is the cultural and economic centre of Burgundy. The prestigious vineyard sites, stretching in a band from Santenay (located about 20 kilometres south of Beaune) to the village of Aloxe-Corton (five kilometres north of Beaune), form the Côte de Beaune. Legendary, uniquely expressive crus originate here. In fact, the most prestigious Chardonnay growths in the world are produced around Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault.

Region

Bourgogne

Burgundy: home of the crus

Burgundy and Bordeaux are France’s most prestigious wine regions. Nonetheless, they are completely distinct in character: while Bordeaux, as the land of the chateaux, enjoys an aristocratic image, Burgundy has retained its rustic agrarian structure. Burgundy stretches for over 200 kilometres, from Dijon in the north to Lyon in the south. In a highly complex jigsaw of the most diverse of terroirs, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir demonstrate the subtle ways in which they embody their sources.

Country

France

France – Philosophy in a bottle

According to French philosophy, wine should be an expression of the soil and climate. They use the word “terroir” to describe this. Terroir makes every wine different, and many especially good. French wine is regarded worldwide as an expression of cultural perfection. The French believe that humans are responsible for the quality of the berries, the vine variety for their character, and nature for the quantity. This philosophy can be expressed succinctly as: “the truth is the vineyard, not the man.”

Rating

Parker 95 Points