2008 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
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Tasting notes
This magnum of the 2008 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru is an original release, and it is a little more developed than the "reconditioned" 750-milliliter bottle I reviewed last year. Offering up aromas of mandarin orange, marmalade, honeycomb, fresh pastry, white flowers and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and penetrating, with lively acids and a long, exotic finish. While this is drinking well, it's a little open-knit for a 12-year-old Chevalier-Montrachet, especially in magnum, and—as with most Leflaive white Burgundies from this era of endemic premature oxidation—I wouldn't bet on it making old bones. In that respect, it was interesting to see what a difference the domaine's reconditioning had made to the last example of this wine that I encountered.
Critic scores
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Rather full yellow with a gold tinge. Slightly exotic apricot and yellow peach scents on first sniff, with notes of wet stone, lemon zest, mandarin and baked bread quickly coming up. Fat, thick and honeyed on entry, but quickly firmed in the mid-palate by an edge of acidity, with strong iodiney minerality emerging on the back half. This tactile, chewy wine is still a bit disjointed, with its exotic creamy fruit and saline mineral notes still fighting each other, but its long, rocky, precise finish and vibrant acidity suggest that it will repay more time in bottle. Still, this wine shows more personality and nuance today than the 2009, which comes across as more classic and dry. Interestingly, both this wine and the '07 have occasionally been flagged by drinkers as showing premature oxidation notes but both of my bottles became fresher in the glass, which is certainly not a characteristic of wines in decline. Incidentally, this wine was bottled with 7.5 grams per liter of acidity (expressed as tartaric), the highest of any vintage in this vertical tasting. (13% alcohol; 3.1 pH; Brice de la Morandière described '08 as "an oidium vintage saved by the north wind before the harvest," which started on September 22)
About the producer
Domaine Leflaive is arguably Burgundy’s most famous white wine producer, setting the benchmark for top-quality Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune and the world. The property is the largest land-owner in Puligny-Montrachet, with extensive holdings in the village and five hectares of Grand Cru vineyards