Domaines Leflaive : Auxey-Duresses Village Leflaive & Associés 2016

Tasting characteristics and serving suggestions for Auxey-Duresses Village Leflaive & Associés 2016 from Domaine Leflaive

Tasting

Appearance
The wine displays a bright, pale yellow hue.

Nose
The nose reveals citrus aromas, particularly lemon, accompanied by notes of fresh almond. There are also hints of green apple and other green fruits, lifted by nuances of orange peel and subtle floral notes.

Palate
On the palate, this wine offers moderate concentration with more body than the typically light style of Puligny-Montrachet. The texture is engaging, carried by fine minerality and lively acidity that brings freshness. The whole is perfectly balanced and extends into a long, lingering finish.

Serving and cellaring
This wine is best served at a temperature between 10 and 12°C to fully appreciate its qualities. It may be enjoyed until around 2026.

A Chardonnay from Bourgogne, grown biodynamically on the terroirs of Auxey-Duresses

The estate
In 1910, in Puligny-Montrachet, Joseph Leflaive founded the eponymous estate, driven by the ambition to craft, under his own name, cuvées that reveal the unique character and aromatic potential of illustrious Burgundian Climats.

A graduate of the École Polytechnique at the age of 20 and a naval engineer who took part in the design of the first French submarine, Joseph Leflaive then began replanting the family vineyard (whose grapes had until then been sold to négociants), devastated by phylloxera, as well as acquiring winemaking facilities.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Domaine Leflaive, under the stewardship of the third generation, began a new chapter in its history. From 1994 onward, Anne-Claude Leflaive, with a pioneering vision for Bourgogne at the time, converted the vineyard to biodynamic farming and initiated numerous developments that would build the international success of the family estate.

Since 2015, Brice de la Morandière, great-grandson of Joseph Leflaive, has continued this ongoing quest for excellence through the crafting of great Bourgogne white wines whose rarity matches their excellence.

The vineyard
This Auxey-Duresses wine comes from a 1.28-hectare plot located in the hamlet of Melin, in the commune of Auxey-Duresses. The vines, planted between 1950 and 1990, thrive on clay-limestone soils typical of this appellation in the Côte de Beaune. The vineyard is farmed according to biodynamic principles, ensuring optimal respect for both the terroir and the environment.

Winemaking and aging
The grapes for Auxey-Duresses Village Leflaive & Associés 2016 are harvested entirely by hand. After a long, gentle pneumatic pressing, the must is settled for 24 hours before racking and transfer to barrel. Fermentation takes place in oak barrels, 15% of which are new. The aging period lasts a total of 15 to 16 months: 12 months in barrel, then 6 months in tank to prepare for bottling. The wine undergoes a very light fining with isinglass and, if necessary, a very gentle filtration.

Grape variety
This white wine from Bourgogne is made from 100% Chardonnay.