Domaine Leflaive : Mâcon-Verzé 2018

Characteristics and tasting tips for the Mâcon-Verzé 2018 Domaine Leflaive

Tasting

Appearance
The wine shows a pale yellow hue, enhanced by delicate greenish and silvery highlights, and remarkable clarity.

Nose
The bouquet opens with great floral and mineral purity, recalling chalk and stone. It then gains depth with notes of ripe citrus fruit and meadow herbs, along with subtle hints of peach and banana. A slight reduction may appear on opening, but it fades quickly with aeration to reveal the brightness of the fruit.

Palate
The palate stands out for its tension and its tight, elegant structure. The minerality takes centre stage, perfectly balanced by juicy fruit reminiscent of ripe citrus and yellow tropical fruit. Carried by a lively energy, the wine stretches into a persistent finish marked by floral and mineral notes and a subtle bitterness.

Food and wine pairings

This wine pairs beautifully with oily or delicate fish, such as a salmon terrine. It is also an excellent match for creamy vegetarian dishes such as a courgette risotto, as well as goat's cheese or semi-hard cheeses like Saint-Paulin.

Serving and ageing

The Mâcon-Verzé 2018 can be enjoyed young to make the most of its energy, yet it also has the structure to evolve and develop greater aromatic complexity with a few years of bottle ageing.

A fresh and expressive white Burgundy

The Leflaive family's history in Burgundy began in 1717 in Puligny-Montrachet. Now run by Brice de la Morandière, Domaine Leflaive is a benchmark estate worldwide. This independent family estate tends around 25 hectares of vines in the Côte de Beaune, including prestigious grands and premiers crus, complemented by 9.3 hectares in the Mâconnais. A true pioneer, the estate fully converted its vineyards to biodynamics in the 1990s. Its respect for terroir and its recent adoption of agroforestry reflect the deep ecological commitment of this iconic producer.

The vineyard

The grapes for the Mâcon-Verzé come from five lieux-dits in the village of Verzé, in the Mâconnais. The vines thrive on clay-limestone soils, sometimes rich in flint, with south-east and south-west exposures on gentle to steep slopes. Farmed biodynamically since the estate acquired it in 2004, this terroir has a planting density of 6,000 vines per hectare and strictly controlled yields. The estate has also introduced agroforestry practices here to preserve biodiversity. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand.

Vinification and ageing

After rigorous sorting, the grapes for the Mâcon-Verzé 2018 undergo a long, gentle pneumatic pressing in Verzé. The musts are left to settle for 24 hours and racked off their sediment, then transported daily to the cellars in Puligny-Montrachet. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, concrete vats and a few wooden foudres, with no new barrels used, to preserve the purity of the fruit. The wine is aged on its lees for 10 months in the fermentation vessels, followed by around 6 months on fine lees in stainless steel tanks. It then undergoes homeopathic fining and, if necessary, a very light filtration.

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay