Joseph Leflaive (1870-1953) graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique at age 20. An engineer in the marine engineering corps, he participated in particular in the design and creation of the first French submarine.

Then his marriage to Camille Biétrix du Villars, from the Dauphiné, changed his career. He ran the La Chaléassière metallurgical factory, at the same time looking after the family vines in Puligny-Montrachet.

At the time, this was a viticultural inheritance that had suffered from the phylloxera crisis, was not very extensive, and whose products were sold to the region's wine merchants. 

Starting in 1920, Joseph Leflaive undertook a programme of replanting, extension and enhancement of the vineyard - with the help of his estate manager and friend François Virot (1890-1964). Together, they chose new rootstocks that were better adapted to each parcel of land, joseph Leflaive gradually began selling his wine under his own label and to his private clientele. 

Upon the death of their father in 1953, four children (Anne, Jeanne, Jo and Vincent) choose to maintain the Domaine's unity, and in 1973 created a Société Civile d'Exploitation (SCE - an operating company).

Once again, it was a question of careers arising around other activities that became committed to this passion, this ambition: to bring the Côte de Beaune's Chardonnay up to the highest rank of excellence. An insurance underwriter in Grenoble, Joseph (Jo) took over the Domaine's administrative and financial management, while Vincent, an HEC (grand école for management and business studies) graduate and an engineer in Ugine, took care of the vineyard, the wine and its commercialisation. 

In 1990, the family appointed Anne Claude, daugther of Vincent Leflaive, as joint manager with Olivier, son of Joseph. The new generation continued to benefit from know-how of the previous one, thanks to the presence of Vincent on the Management Board until his death in 1993. 

The following year, Anne Claude was named manager, with the assistance of the Management Board. The latter is currently made up of Maria Cruz de Suremain (niece of Anne Leflaive), Marilys de La Morandière (daughter of Jo Leflaive), and Bernard de Noüe (son of Jeanne de Noüe, sister of Joseph Régis Leflaive and Vincent Leflaive). 

Today the helm is transferred to the 4th generation with Brice de La Morandiere's, Anne-Claude's nephew and great grand son of Joseph Leflaive the founder. We will continue with the same family philosophy of respect for the great ''terroirs'', humility towards the forces of nature and rigorous in it's relentless pursuit of excellence in wine making. 

Starting in 2015, under the energic impetus of Brice, a number of important developments have been undertaken. All historical buildings have been brought up-to-date, sometimes requiring rebuilding and extending, with the ultimate goal of having almost no impact on the environment. Their design, building materials and stucture enable an optimal thermal insulation which reduces to the absolute minimum the need for outside energy. Significant work has also been undertaken to make the winemaking more precise, including the selection of a new type of corks enabling an increased longevity in the wines. The estate has also expanded with nearly 3 hectares replanted in Puligny, 7 hectares acquired in the Mâconnais and with the creation of a new vineyard planned for 2020 in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune.