2015 Domaine Leflaive, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru

The 2015 Chevalier-Montrachet from Domaine Leflaive is stunning from bottle, wafting from the glass with a lovely nose of lemon pith, wet stones, spring flowers and toasted nuts. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, concentrated and multidimensional, with extraordinary intensity and mid-palate depth, a long, lingering finish and an effortless sense of cohesion and completeness. But what's especially impressive about this Chevalier is its grace and textural elegance in this vintage: while its concentration and amplitude certainly reflect the year, nothing is out of place. A step up over even the superb Bâtard-Montrachet and one of the high points of the 2015 vintage in white Burgundy.

The 2015 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru is clearly more complex and pixelated on the nose compared to the Bâtard-Montrachet: cold wet limestone, gun flint and with continued aeration a touch of orange blossom. The palate is vibrant on the entry, shimmers with citrus fruit, sea salt and spice, building with conviction towards what feels like a structured finish that has a sign saying "Long Term" around it in large letters. What a regal, or perhaps one should say, "knightly" wine.

(I tasted a sample from Leflaive's parcel in Chevalier du Haut from a 2013 barrel; the Chevalier du Bas was still finishing its malolactic fermentation): Pale, bright yellow. Ripe pineapple and peach aromas are sharpened by wet-stone minerality. Silky, sweet and rich, with its yellow fruit flavors nicely framed by harmonious mineral-driven acidity. Boasts excellent inner-mouth tension but already shows very good balance. There was actually a slight blockage of maturity in these vines owing to heat and hydric stress, noted winemaker Eric Rémy, who added that the acidity here is 4.5 grams per liter and that the alcohol is lower than that of the Chevalier du Bas (13.35%, vs. 13.7%). Keep in mind that my projected score is just an approximation of the final blend.

A tiny bit planted in 1991. Much more aromatic and expressive than the Bâtard on the nose and there’s a creaminess of texture here. Very delightful and even quite forward. Lots of juice and charm with lift and body but excellent balancing acidity too. Appetising, salty finish. Long and lifted. Ethereal yet with density too. Bravo!