Grolleau
2015Domaine Leflaive
I am very fortunate at 64 Wine to be able to curate a fine collection of wines. While it is very hard to select a favourite it would be difficult to find better than the wines of Domaine Leflaive. Appointed as joint manager of the estate in 1990 and the sole manager in 1993 after her cousin Olivier left. Anne Claude presided over the estates conversion to Biodynamic viticulture and completed this conversion in 1998. She became one of the movements most respected proponents converting many, including Jacques Seysses of Domaine Dujac. She had the great fortune to have the worlds finest terroirs to work with for the growing of Chardonnay: Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Bâtard Montrachet are included in the estate. In 2014 I was honoured to be invited to visit the Domaine. Anne Claude gave generously of her time and tasted each of her wines with me. She and the wine made a huge impression on me and it was therefore upsetting to hear of her death a short time later at the age of 59. The world of wine had lost one of its greats. The following year Decanter wine magazine named her as the world’s best white wine maker. Few would dispute that she deserved this accolade.
“If you smell the soil in a biodynamic vineyard, it’s rich, it’s wonderful, it’s full of life. When people call me a madwoman for believing in biodynamics, it’s because they haven’t experienced this.” Anne-Claude Leflaive
