2009 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru

Medium yellow. Ripe stone fruit and honey on the nose. Fat and sweet but not quite as large-scaled as the Combettes, showing stone fruit and spice flavors. Best today on the insidiously long finish, which really saturates the palate with flavor. Plenty of verve here; still, I'd serve most of these 2009s a bit cooler than usual.

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles emerges from the glass with crystalline purity in its finely chiseled fruit. It possesses striking mid-palate energy and focus, with sweet floral notes that add lift on the finish. This is a marvelously symmetrical, well-balanced wine loaded with sheer class and personality. Best of all, the Pucelles offers tremendous potential for the future.

The 2009 Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles emerges from the glass with crystalline purity in its finely chiseled fruit. It possesses striking mid-palate energy and focus, with sweet floral notes that add lift on the finish. This is a marvelously symmetrical, well-balanced wine loaded with sheer class and personality. Best of all, the Pucelles offers tremendous potential for the future. Anticipated maturity: 2015+. Domaine Leflaive is one of the pioneers in biodynamic viticulture in Burgundy. The first experiments began in 1990 and by 1997 all of the vineyards had been converted to biodynamic farming. Winemaker Eric Remy describes the 2009 growing season in considerable detail. The winter was long but mild. The last frost occurred on March 23. Temperatures were normal until the last week of the month, when the weather turned warmer. Flowering began on May 22. The rest of the spring and summer were warm, while a big storm in mid-July dropped 8cm of rain. The rest of the summer was quite warm. The harvest began on September 5, about ten days earlier than normal. Average yields were around 45 hectoliters per hectare. The wines were aged for 12 months in oak followed by 6-8 months in steel. New oak ranged from 10% for the Bourgogne, 15% for the villages, 20% for the premier crus and 25% for the grand crus. The 2009s were bottled between April and June 2011. Importer: Wilson-Daniels, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661