Burgundy, a Land made for Wine

01.
BURGUNDY,
A LAND MADE FOR WINE

Burgundy is a land destined for wine by nature. In its millennial history, it has intimately linked man to the vine in some places. In Puligny-Montrachet, in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, the Leflaive family has been established for more than three centuries.

The Essence of the Terroir

- 01

The Essence of the Terroir

There are few places blessed with so much history and such geography. Since the Middle Ages, Burgundy has produced wine like no other region. The know-how of the monks has passed through the centuries, evangelizing each village with vineyards that have always remained of a human-size. Nowadays, the total Burgundy vineyard covers less than 30,000 ha, barely 4% of French vineyards as a whole.

Burgundy’s wines have acquired a simple and unique reputation: they are the best Chardonnays and Pinots Noirs in the world. Each appellation comes from a specific place, a parcel of vines often of modest size: these famous “Climats” form the basis of the Burgundy model. The diversity of Burgundy’s wines is also found in its 84 appellations, from the grands crus at the top of the pyramid through the premiers crus and the villages to the regional AOCs. More than a classification or a nomenclature, these are names that amateurs dream about: Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Corton, Meursault... Or even, in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet, where the Leflaive family has been established since 1717.

A Family in Puligny-Montrachet

- 02

A Family in Puligny-Montrachet

Vines have been cultivated in Puligny-Montrachet since Roman times. The name of the village is derived from the Latin "Puligniacus".

Before the first Leflaives settled in Puligny-Montrachet in 1717, the village, linked to vinegrowing since the end of the 12th Century, experienced a period of prosperity in the 18th Century with new plantations. In Puligny, the Leflaive family practiced several trades, including that of cooper, and owned a few hectares of vines whose grapes were sold. Towards the end of the 19th Century, the phylloxera crisis destroyed almost all of the vines. It was however in these troubled times, in 1879, that the name of Montrachet was added to that of Puligny, as well as that of Chassagne, definitively anchoring the destiny of the village in the great wines. A new story started to be written. Joseph Leflaive (1870-1953) created the Domaine and made it part of the Burgundian terroir. The terroir in its raw definition: the union of a place and a man. The history of the Leflaive family is inseparable from that of Burgundy.

Interview of Brice de la Morandière

What was your first relationship with Burgundy?

I am the great-grandson of Joseph Leflaive, founder of Domaine Leflaive in Puligny. As a child, I spent a lot of holidays in the family home and as an adult, I acquired my own house in Puligny with two beautiful gardens of which I am very proud. My personal and professional life led me to travel a lot and live in England, in Turkey, in the United States and even in China. Puligny-Montrachet was our haven of peace between two trips and allowed my children to develop some roots in this land with a myriad of facets.

01/03

- 03 -

“Burgundy is a part of me”

Brice de La Morandière

MANAGING PARTNER OF DOMAINE LEFLAIVE

What is the Burgundian identity?

It is simply to express the beauty and diversity of the “Climats“ of Burgundy. These “Climats“ amaze me, sometimes surprise me, and always move me. At Domaine Leflaive, we seek to spark and share these emotions, from appellation to appellation, from vintage to vintage.

02/03

How to write this history in the future of the Burgundy vineyard?

I am both the custodian of a work that has been done with passion by the previous generations and I am also a guide for future generations. I want to pass on our Burgundian traditions, our know-how and also our way of living together. My objective is ultimately simple because it is continuing to express Leflaive wines as I have known them since childhood: a mineral, elegant, generous expression of Burgundy.

03/03

Biodynamic winemaking, evidence of the last 25 years

- 04 -

Domaine Leflaive: biodynamic winemaking, evidence of the last 25 years

Nature, the earth, its environment are at the heart of an eco-system whose balance is the source of life. This deep conviction inspired Anne-Claude Leflaive to engage the entire Domaine in biodynamic winemaking in 1996. This philosophy is also a demanding and pragmatic practice that promotes life and fundamental energy. It is not a method to fight against fungal diseases for example, but it does keep parasites at an acceptable level. The health of the vine is strengthened. The wines themselves gain in balance, finesse and elegance. Brice de La Morandière, family manager since 2015, continues to develop the Domaine in accordance to this philosophy and ethics.