Plot approche Art of vinification Traditional ageing A name, a signature Crossed looks

Tailor-made winemaking

Transcribing the expression of each terroir is a real mission for Maison Olivier Leflaive. This is expressed at every stage of the winemaking process, thanks to a team who, guided by their love of the grapes, carry out tailor-made work with the greatest respect for Burgundian tradition and culture.

N°12
N°13

Traditional know-how

The plot-based approach
Here again, it is first the vineyard and then the wine that sets the pace. Before the harvest, the teams make daily visits to all the plots to keep an eye on the vines and obtain quality grapes, which are picked by hand and at optimum ripeness according to each Climat. The Chardonnay is sorted on the vine and the Pinot Noir on the sorting table in the cellar.

Traditional know-how

The plot-based approach
Here again, it is first the vineyard and then the wine that sets the pace. Before the harvest, the teams make daily visits to all the plots to keep an eye on the vines and obtain quality grapes, which are picked by hand and at optimum ripeness according to each Climat. The Chardonnay is sorted on the vine and the Pinot Noir on the sorting table in the cellar.

The art of vinification
While the plot-based approach is identical for both colours, in the cellar some of the stages involved in making a Grand Vin de Bourgogne are different. The bunches of Chardonnay grapes are pressed directly and gently to extract the juice, which is immediately filled into barrels to start the fermentation and patient ageing process.

The red wines, made from Pinot Noir, require more attention. After being partially destemmed and sorted, depending on the vintage, the grapes are crushed to extract the juice. In addition to cold soaking, there is pumping over and punching down, to keep the cap of skins moist, break it up and push it into the juice, adding structure and colour to the wine.

Frédéric Milan, Caviste

The art of vinification
While the plot-based approach is identical for both colours, in the cellar some of the stages involved in making a Grand Vin de Bourgogne are different. The bunches of Chardonnay grapes are pressed directly and gently to extract the juice, which is immediately filled into barrels to start the fermentation and patient ageing process.

The red wines, made from Pinot Noir, require more attention. After being partially destemmed and sorted, depending on the vintage, the grapes are crushed to extract the juice. In addition to cold soaking, there is pumping over and punching down, to keep the cap of skins moist, break it up and push it into the juice, adding structure and colour to the wine.

Traditional ageing
Olivier Leflaive wines are aged in French oak barrels from the Vosges, Allier and Jura regions.

The House has chosen to work with several coopers in Burgundy, each with its own style and offering a variety of toasts.

It is in these 228/300/350/500 litre barrels, where they spend many months, that the wines start the fermentation process.

Here they rest, grow and express their terroir of origin under the watchful eye of Solène Panigai, Technical Director, and Philippe Grillet, Oenologist.

Thanks to them, each wine is aged individually, with regular tastings every day, and decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis.

N°15 TER Solène Panigai, Technical Director

Traditional ageing
Olivier Leflaive wines are aged in French oak barrels from the Vosges, Allier and Jura regions.

The House has chosen to work with several coopers in Burgundy, each with its own style and offering a variety of toasts.

It is in these 228/300/350/500 litre barrels, where they spend many months, that the wines start the fermentation process.

Here they rest, grow and express their terroir of origin under the watchful eye of Solène Panigai, Technical Director, and Philippe Grillet, Oenologist.

Thanks to them, each wine is aged individually, with regular tastings every day, and decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis.

More than a name, a signature
In the cellar, throughout the winemaking process, the small team who make Olivier Leflaive wines are careful to ensure that the quality is truly consistent. This meticulous work, in close contact with the grapes and wines, is carried out with precision at every stage.
Respecting each terroir, and also each vintage, is a point of honour. All the plots are kept in separate batches. This means that each plot can be tasted separately and the winemaking choices can be adapted throughout the year.

Vin 2

Remaining true to the terroir
The winegrowing philosophy at Olivier Leflaive is totally inseparable from the concept of terroir.

Whether it’s a village appellation or a Grand Cru, it all starts with a plot.

And it is with the same demand for quality, the same quest for finesse and elegance, that each of the wines is created.

Abbaye de Morgeot

Remaining true to the terroir
The winegrowing philosophy at Olivier Leflaive is totally inseparable from the concept of terroir.

Whether it’s a village appellation or a Grand Cru, it all starts with a plot.

And it is with the same demand for quality, the same quest for finesse and elegance, that each of the wines is created.

N°17
Solène Panigai, Technical Director & Philippe Grillet, Œnologist

Crossed looks

Crossed looks between two Olivier Leflaive experts in winemaking : Solène Panigai, Technical Director and Philippe Grillet, Œnologist.

  • Rather chardonnay or pinot noir?

    Solène Panigai : Both, for different reasons. Chardonnay for its elegance and perfect expression on our great terroirs of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. Vinifying whites requires precision and demands from the very first moments because it all starts in the pre-fermentation stages: pressing and settling. Pinot noir for the playful aspect of winemaking because it requires more adaptation and intuition. The issue is to work on the material while preserving the brightness of the fruit and the freshness of this grape variety.

    Philippe Grillet : Rather chardonnay, because we are lucky enough to work in Puligny-Montrachet, in a House which vinifies such beautiful appellations with « the grape variety ». The elaboration of a great white requires a lot of time and follow-up throughout the aging process; keeping the freshness, finding the right woodiness, the acid/material balance while respecting the typicity of its terroir is very motivating and exciting.

  • What is a “great wine”?

    Solène Panigai : A great wine is distinguished by the emotion it arouses from the first sips. It goes beyond the experience by offering a unique sensory journey and finds satisfaction within itself. In addition, he demonstrates a remarkable ability to evolve and improve over time. A great wine is the one we remember.

    Philippe Grillet : A great wine is not obviously in line with the level of appellation: it is not necessarily a Grand or a Premier Cru. A great wine is love at first sight. It gives emotion with perfect balance, good length and flavors that remain on the palate.

  • What is the body of the wine?

    Solène Panigai : The body of a wine can be compared to that of a human being, with a skeleton made up of a framework generally supported by acidity and the characteristics specific to the terroir. Added to this, the material and the full-bodied coming from the alcohol level, as well as tannins and elements revealed during aging, such as woodiness. The winemaker role is to highlight each of these elements, to harmonize them in a coherent and fluid manner, thus avoiding one aspect dominating the others, just like the work of a sculptor in search of the perfect balance.

    Philippe Grillet : The body of a wine is the density, the texture that it presents in the mouth. In comparison with the human body, we could say the skeleton and the chair. It is the perception of the wine that we have during tasting. If it has a full-bodied and lack of freshness, it will be heavy. If a red wine has too many tannins, it will be robust. All the technical choices at the time of aging will influence the balance of the wine like a Chef who combines his sauce. The objective of producing great wine is precisely to keep the balance between the materials (substance, creaminess, roundness), acidity, alcohol, CO2 and all the other constituents.

  • How do we respect a vintage?

    Solène Panigai : Each vintage leaves its distinctive print on our wines, and our first tasks is to understand and capture it. It can be warm, cold, sunny, rich, delicate, expressive, shy and these characteristics become apparent as soon as our grapes ripen. We choose the harvest date considering technological (sugar/acidity) and phenolic maturity, seeking a balance suited to the wine, which will naturally vary depending on a hot or cold year. Subsequently, we guide our wine until it is bottled by intervening at the appropriate time, basing our decisions on daily tastings. Thus, we opt for more or less frequent stirring, racking and fining depending on what the wine expresses in the specific context of its vintage.

    Philippe Grillet : Respecting a vintage means respecting what nature has modeled. When making a wine, we must keep the style of the House which cannot be smoothed out by a blend of different vintages as in Champagne. The style of Olivier Leflaive white wines is freshness and tension. If each stage of aging will be important, the harvest date remains the crucial stage for finding the right balance.

  • A favorite plot?

    Solène Panigai : Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles for its elegance, delicacy and expression which require patience and time. It is a remarkable plot on a great terroir, with the same limestone substrate as we found in the prestigious Montrachet. Overlooking this vineyard, the view offers a striking panorama of our terroirs in Puligny-Montrachet. It’s a wine that I like to see evolve and reveal itself during vinification and aging. Every year, I await its arrival with a particular impatience.

    Philippe Grillet : Meursault 1er Cru Sous Le Dos D’Âne for reasons other than only wine: when you find yourself in this plot, in this exceptional terroir, a feeling of calm is felt, with a wooden and bucolic environment. If the wine presents a beautiful minerality with notes of sap and a certain tension, the fullness of Meursault is found in the mouth and especially in the plot…

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