2008 Meursault Sur le Dos de l'Ane

Cellarmaster Eric Remy told me that 2009 was an easy vintage "so we could work on the 2008s," which were a lot trickier here. As readers may recall, I was not able to taste a few '08s last spring because they were in the middle of their malolactic fermentations, and the grand crus had not yet started. A year later, only the Meursault was in bottle and the rest were still limping to a conclusion. Most troublesome were the Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes and the Montrachet, which were still in the early stages of their malos. Though rich in material, both were dominated by oxidative aromas and were impossible to judge. Current plans were to bottle these wines in November, but Remy admitted to being worried about these two cuvees. "A vintage of patience," he summarized, optimistically. As to 2009, Leflaive harvested its chardonnay between September 5 and 11, bringing in fruit with potential alcohol between 13% and 14%. The crop was generally full, except for the Clavoillon and Pucelles, which yielded 41 and 40 hectoliters per hectare, respectively. Remy did no chaptalization or acidification as he "wanted to keep the year's style." Just one or two people were needed on each side of the sorting table in 2009, he told me, compared to six in 2008. Happily, the malos this time were finished by May. Incidentally, the average percentage of new oak used here is now down to 25% for the grand crus, 20% for the premier crus and 15% for the village wines.

Cellarmaster Eric Remy describes 2008 as a classic vintage for Domaine Leflaive. Humid, showery weather had threatened widespread outbreaks of mildew and oidium, and Leflaive did a total of 13 treatments against vine maladies. After the rains of early September, the estate did a labor-intensive pass through the vines, eliminating 10% to 15% of the fruit. But then the north wind that began in the middle of the month saved the crop, concentrating sugars and acids. At the harvest, which started here on September 22, grape sugars were typically 12.8% to 13% or more (very little chaptalization was done), and acidity levels were around six grams, a high percentage of which was malic. The 2007s here, which had only recently been bottled at the time of my visit, emphatically showcase their various terroirs and would appear to be constituted for good medium-term aging. (Remy recommends waiting on the 2007s and drinking the 2006s earlier.) Incidentally, Domaine Leflaive is widely cited by long-time collectors as an estate that has largely avoided problems with premature oxidation. When I discussed this subject with Remy, the only recent vintage he had any doubts about was 2002. But he was not yet sure whether the variability he has noticed up to now is a function of corks or of the wines themselves. Clearly, the Leflaive whites gain in stability from an extended stay in cuves. For example, the 2007s remained in tanks from early September of 2008 until they were bottled in April and May of this year. I have omitted notes on a couple of 2008s that were in the middle of their malos (most of the premier crus were finished), but I have included early impressions of the very promising grand crus, which had not yet started their secondary fermentations.