OLIVIER LEFLAIVE Puligny-Montrachet AOC 2023 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Olivier Leflaive’s 40th Anniversary Puligny 2023 blends nearly all Puligny plots, offering purity, clarity and rounded texture. Pale straw with a silvery sheen, it opens with citrus blossom, white peach and poached pear, undercut by green apple and crushed shell minerality. Measured oak and lees contact add soft brioche and mid palate breadth while preserving primary perfume. The palate is broad yet precise: lemon curd and pear compote lead, then a taut line of acidity and a silky lees driven weight. A saline mineral seam and a touch of almond skin bitterness define a persistent, tasty finish. Drink 2027 to 2030. Critics: James Suckling 95 (racy), Dunell’s 95 (broad yet precise). Correct, accessible and rewarding with short term cellaring indeed.

ABOUT THIS WINE
The 2023 growing season at Puligny was described by Solène Panigai as an Olympic vintage, each parcel demanding precise attention to reach perfect ripeness. Olivier Leflaive’s 40th Anniversary Puligny 2023 is a blend of nearly all Puligny plots except Charmes and Trézin, crafted to show purity of fruit, clarity of line and an accessible, rounded texture. Vinification combines careful temperature controlled fermentation with a judicious proportion of oak élevage to add subtle structure and a whisper of spice while preserving primary aromatics. Lees contact and gentle bâtonnage bring mid palate breadth without masking vineyard expression.

The wine pours a pale straw with a silvery sheen and offers an immediate floral lift. The nose is pretty and refined with citrus blossom, white peach and poached pear, underpinned by green apple and a faint hint of acacia. There is a stony mineral thread of crushed shell and wet stone that keeps the aromatics focused, while delicate toasty notes from the barrel ageing add a soft brioche perfume.

On the palate the 2023 is broad yet precise. Pure white fruit carries through the front palate and is given breathing room by a taut line of acidity that prevents the wine becoming heavy. Mid palate weight comes from lees influence and fine oak integration, delivering a silky texture and gentle curvature. Flavours move from lemon curd and pear compote into a subtle saline mineral seam and a light almond skin bitterness that gives definition to the finish. The close is tasty and persistent, leaving citrus zest and a floral echo.

Suggested drinking window 2027 to 2035. Serve chilled around 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. Food pairings include roasted brill with brown butter and capers, poached lobster with a citrus hollandaise, chicken velouté with wild mushrooms, goat cheese tart or a simple asparagus and hollandaise. Overall this anniversary Puligny is correct, round and immediately appealing with enough concentration to reward short term cellaring.

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
Flint and spice come through clearly, showing a higher level of reduction in the winemaking and providing intensity and intrigue to the wine. It's medium-bodied, linear and very racy with a bright, lightly phenolic finish. Drink or hold.
James Suckling, Senior Editor

JASPER MORRIS
A blend from all the plots of Puligny except Charmes and Trézin. A pretty bouquet with some fresh citrus blossom on the nose, pure white fruit on the palate, which is on the broader side but with enough concentration to kick on nicely to a tasty finish. Very correct, round and accessible. Tasted Oct 2024. Drink from 2027-2030.

JANCIS ROBINSON 16.5 points
Smoky nose, so much that it becomes almost bacony on the palate. Crackling with savoury, smoky power and structure. White marble, green veins. Really powerful and this one has its boots on for a long walk. Attitude. (TC)

DUNELL'S 95 points
Pours pale straw with a silvery sheen. Aromas of citrus blossom, white peach and poached pear with green apple and a stony wet stone note, plus soft brioche from oak. Broad yet precise on the palate with pure white fruit, taut acidity and a silky lees driven mid palate. Flavours of lemon curd and pear move to a saline mineral seam and a light almond skin bitterness on the finish. Correct, round and ready to enjoy 2027 to 2030.

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ABOUT OLIVIER LEFLAIVE
Olivier Leflaive is a prominent Burgundy négociant and domain family that has played a major role in promoting and vinifying the white wines of the Côte de Beaune. The company was founded in the 1980s by Olivier Leflaive, a member of the well known Leflaive family, combining hands on domaine sensibility with négociant scale to source and vinify high quality parcels across Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, Meursault and surrounding villages. The firm bridges terroir driven sourcing and careful cellar work to produce a broad range of single vineyard, village and premier cru whites as well as select reds.

Vineyards and sourcing emphasize classic Côte de Beaune limestone and marl soils that give the whites saline mineral drive and focused acidity. Many cuvées come from long term grower partners and from estate owned parcels, allowing the team to craft wines that reflect site specificity while maintaining consistent stylistic benchmarks. Viticultural priorities include reduced yields, canopy work and selective hand harvesting to preserve freshness and aromatic purity.

Winemaking at Olivier Leflaive aims to showcase primary fruit and terroir expression. The cellar employs gentle whole bunch pressing for whites, controlled temperature fermentations and a mix of stainless steel and oak for elevage. Oak ageing is used with restraint; a proportion of new French oak is applied to add texture and complexity while lees ageing and occasional bâtonnage build roundness. Fermentations may use indigenous or selected yeasts according to cuvée and vintage goals. Reds are handled with similarly measured extraction to retain finesse.

Stylistically the wines are noted for bright citrus and stone fruit aromas, floral lift, a clear mineral core and balanced acidity. Premier cru and village bottlings show greater depth, complexity and ageing potential. As both négociant and domaine the Olivier Leflaive signature is consistent quality across a wide range, combining Burgundian tradition with modern cellar precision to produce white Burgundies that are approachable young yet reward careful cellaring.