2009 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet

Pale, green-tinged yellow. Peach, flowers and hazelnut on classic Puligny nose. Then sweet and fruity in the mouth, with very ripe stone fruit flavors complicated by hints of honey and menthol. The dusty, slightly aggressive finish displays excellent density and an intriguing flinty character. Boasts impressive volume for village wine.

The 2009 Puligny Montrachet comes across as a bit more taut than the Bourgogne. It shows good depth and minerality in a slightly lean, and surprisingly inward style for the year. This is a pretty, understated wine, but there is little of the radiance or exuberance of the year in the glass. The Puligny-Montrachet is made from a number of parcels in the villages that are vinified and aged separately and blended prior to blending.

The 2009 Puligny Montrachet comes across as a bit more taut than the Bourgogne. It shows good depth and minerality in a slightly lean, and surprisingly inward style for the year. This is a pretty, understated wine, but there is little of the radiance or exuberance of the year in the glass. The Puligny-Montrachet is made from a number of parcels in the villages that are vinified and aged separately and blended prior to blending. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. 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