Cellar Favorite:
2002 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru 

BY NEAL
MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 8, 2025

Earlier
this year, I connected with U.K. influencer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/tomgilbeywine/?hl=en">Tom Gilbey</a> (670,000 followers and counting) to make an Instagram Reel. Gilbey
tends to focus on supermarket wines that he invariably dismisses with a raft of
expletives. Fortunately, he did not foist anything shabby when, after filming, we
walked up to Noble Rot Mayfair for lunch and a blind tasting. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757354391275-CF_Sept082025+1.png">His
contribution was a 2002 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine
Leflaive that thankfully showed no premature oxidation. Burnished straw in
hue, the Chevalier opens with a spine-tingling mix of lanolin, crushed limestone
and freshly baked brioche, light apricot scents hovering in the background. It
has thrilling delineation and focus, everything you expect from the late
Anne-Claude Leflaive. The palate is built around razor-sharp acidity, though there
is tangible weight and it feels concentrated for this vintage. The sapid, dry
finish leaves you hankering for the next sip. The 2002 is a glorious
Chevalier-Montrachet, and based on this showing, I do not believe it will gain
anything from further bottle age. 95/Drink 2025-2050. <img alt="" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.vinous.com/uploads%2F1757354414421-CF_Sept082025+2.png">My own contribution
was more modest, though no less intriguing. The 1973 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er
Cru from Jean Chenu &amp; Fils was made by the grandfather of
Juliette and Caroline Chenu, a fine producer I make sure to visit each year.
After more than 50 years, sure, the 1973 is a little rustic and weathered on
the nose, but it continues to offer pleasant mulberry and morel scents and
never falls apart or oxidizes. The palate is simple but balanced, with gentle
grip and light blackberry and used tea leaf notes that are usurped by tertiary
scents. Given its antiquity and lack of vineyard pedigree, this bottle was a
pleasant surprise, and it had cost not much more than 20 euros. 88/Drink
2025-2028. 

By the way, when I last checked,
the Reel filmed that day has been watched 322,000 times. Influencers, eh?© 2025, Vinous. No portion of this article may be copied, shared or redistributed without prior consent from Vinous. Doing so is not only a violation of our copyright but also threatens the survival of independent wine criticism.

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