Mâconnais Map

MÂCON-VERZÉ 14,65 HA

Le Clos Les Muses Les ChênesLapalueLe MontéEscollesEn Perret

SAINT-VÉRAN 0,41 HA

Les Pommards

MÂCON-IGÉ 0,82 HA

En Blandayan

POUILLY-FUISSÉ 2,63 HA

Les Nanches Les Pragnes Vers le MontEn VigneraieLa Chaneau

MÂCON-SOLUTRÉ 0,22 HA

La Verchère

N79

A6

Igé

Puligny-Montrachetvers

85 km

Nord

Domaine Leflaive has eight plots around the ham-let of Escolles and the village of Verzé, totalling 19 hectares. The vines have an average age of 87 years (as in 2019), the oldest dating back to 1936. The evocative names of the individual plots include “the Oaks”, “the Muses” and “the Mountain”.

True to the demanding philosophy of Domaine Leflaive, biodynamic viticulture is practised, in exactly the same way as in Puligny-Montrachet.

Picking is carried out by hand. The grapes are pressed on the spot, in the small cellar in Escolles. The must is transported the next day to Puligny-Montrachet where it is vinified in its own building by the Domaine Leflaive team.

Élévage, which lasts 18 months, occurs in a combina-tion of stainless steel and cement tanks, with around 10 % in old French oak barrels.

The Mâconnais is an integral part of Domaine Leflaive. Its geographical remove is acknowledged by the discreet addition of an “s” in the name Domaines Leflaive.

Mâcon-Verzé

Verzé is a cool valley in the northern Mâconnais. It runs approximately north-south, with vines on both the steep eastern slopes and the warmer western slopes. The soils are clay-limestone, their many nuances giving each terroir its unique personality. The climate is harsh and prone to hail, which can all but eradicate an entire crop, as seen in 2004, 2012 and 2016.

The Parc des Chênes parcel, from which this wine is made, lies opposite the hamlet of Escolles, on a very steep west-facing slope. The altitude at the bottom of the plot is 285 meters above sea level, rising sharply to 321 meters at the top.

The steepness of this parcel, its long rows and the rela- tively large total area of three hectares mean it can be a difficult plot to work.

The vine rows run from the gently sloping valley floor to the steep upper plateau. The steeply ascending rows often have to be worked in tranches, especially at har-vest time.

The upper slopes, beaten by the winds, receive the sun’s first rays and reach maturity earlier. The lower slope tends to be well irrigated in the morning thanks to water which runs downhill and then receives the heat of the sun’s rays in the afternoon. The soil is a complex mixture of marl and limestone, common in Burgundy. The clay-limestone soils are pale beige, almost white, alternating between hard limestone layers and other softer, sandier ones. Its slope allows good drainage in the winter and forces the vines to find deep sources of moisture in the summer.

Aux ChênesMÂCON-VERZÉ

The Monté vineyard is located at the north of the Maconnais, in the Verzé valley above the hamlet of Escolles where we have our cellars, at an altitude of 325 metres above sea level.

This one hectare plot has the interesting distinction of being north-facing. Its elevated position offers a magnificent panorama of the Verzé valley. Bordered by hedges and an orchard, it is a haven of tranquility. Planted in 1965, it receives the first and last light of the day. Rather late-ripening due to its exposure and altitude, the omnipresent sun’s rays allow an optimal maturation of the grapes.

It has a complex intero-oolitic soil, a product of an era when the region lay beneath the sea. As well as irre- gular shaped oolitic limestone, there is flint in the soil. The slope here permits good drainage in the winter while retaining the deep moisture necessary for the vines in summer.

The silty soil, combined with the sun’s heat, can become very densely packed in the summer, making the timing of vineyard work crucial.

Le MontéMÂCON-VERZÉ

BiodynamieORIGINES ET PRINCIPES

La biodynamie est une méthode de culture basée sur l’intelligence sensible des phénomènes naturels. Elle n’est pas une méthode de lutte et ne permet pas d’éra-diquer une maladie ou un parasite, mais, en favorisant la vie d’un nombre important d’espèces, elle permet de maintenir les ennemis de la vigne à un niveau tolérable. Le parasite devient marginal.

François Bouchet, who was the biodynamic advisor to Domaine Leflaive from 1989 until his death in December 2005, explained the approach as follows:

“Biodynamism develops every living species thanks to spe-cialised preparative treatments made from yarrow, cam-omile, nettle, dandelion, valerian, compost and silica or sand which are true catalysts of energy. It is via the plant that the whole organism is vitalised, as much as through its deep rooting in the soil as by the leaves which cap-ture the sun’s energy. The wine which is produced is a direct result of the balance between the terroir and the atmosphere.”

The positive effect of biodynamics on the vines’ health is indisputable. The organic treatments allow the vine to build resistance whilst respecting the natural bal-ance of the flora and fauna. Consequently, the wines gain in balance, structure and depth.

HistoryOF THE DOMAINE

Domaine Leflaive has been a family estate since its inception. Coming from a family with a winemaking tradition dating back to 1717, it was Joseph Leflaive who built up the Domaine after 1910.

Today it covers 24 hectares in Puligny-Montrachet with 4.8 hectares of grand crus and 10.8 hectares of premiers crus. Since 2004, a further 20 hectares have been added in the Mâconnais.

Domaine Leflaive was a pioneer of biodynamics in Burgundy. Based on an awareness of natural phenom-ena and the harmony of terrestrial and lunar rhythms, biodynamics does not permit chemical treatments and seeks to foster the life of the soil.

In the cellar, the same philosophy of respect presides over all the winemaking process, in the pure Burgundian tra-dition. The harvest is manual. Fermentations are long, using indigenous yeasts. The vinifications are made in oak barrels in the first year and in stainless steel vats during a second winter. Human intervention is minimal.

The valley forms a very tight amphitheatre near the village of Solutré and opens gradually towards the vil-lage of Davaillé and then runs on further to the plain of Sâone.

The climate is less rainy than Verzé, very hot in the summer, which causes the most exposed vines to ripen more quickly. The harvest generally starts 2-4 days before Puligny and almost 10-12 days before Verzé, 10 km to the north.

Domaine Leflaive has 14 plots around the village of Solutré-Fuissé, a total area of 3.3 hectares. The vines are vigorous, with an average of _ years. There are multiple orientations and gradients. Soils are clay-lime-stone, of varying types.

Picking is always done by hand, the grapes pressed in the Escolles cellars, near Verzé. The musts are trans-ported the next day to Puligny-Montrachet, where they are vinified in a separate building by the Domaine Leflaive team.

The Pouilly-Fuissé’s élévage is always carried out in oak barrels, trying to limit the new wood to around fifteen percent. It lasts 18 months, until bottling the second winter after harvest.

Pouilly-Fuissé

The terroirs of Pouilly-Fuissé form a mosaic of small parcels at the foot of the imposing rocky promontory of Roche de Solutré.

The valley of Solutré-Fuissé runs east-west. The pink limestone stretches in successive layers at the foot of the cliff of Roche.

This is the highest plot of Domaine Leflaive, from 365 to 374 metres above sea level. At just 0.3 hectares, it could be described as a “garden”. The vegetation that surrounds it creates a naturally closed plot and a unique micro-climate. It is east-facing, with the addi-tional protection of these natural barriers. The soil has a high proportion of clay, retaining freshness. Finally, the slow ripening of the grapes allows them to develop all their aromatic potential. This is one of the last plots to be harvested each year.

Once at the top, the view is simply breathtaking. The Alps with their snowy peaks can be seen clearly, despite being around 200km away. At the beginning of spring, the fog of the Sâone below blankets the valley with cotton wool, thick in the morning, then burning away as the sun heats the air.

The soils are very clay-rich, a deep and elegant red. They are called ‘rubefied’, rich in iron and silica oxide. After rain, vineyard work requires real physical effort, the earth sticking brick-like to one’s boots.

La ChaneauPOUILLY-FUISSÉ

The long premier cru classification process of Pouilly- Fuissé will eventually come to a successful conclusion. They deserve it – and En Vigneraie will be part of it.

This vineyard is also located on a slope: almost 20 meters in altitude for a plot with a surface area of 0.23 hectares. These vines are often worked by hand.

The row orientation is south-south-east, making this a relatively early-ripening plot. The slope allows good drainage in the winter and also forces the vines to dig deep, perhaps giving the fruit its mineral character. Soils are an accumulation of colluvial rocks, derived from the slow erosion of the hillside.

En VigneraiePOUILLY-FUISSÉ

© photographs : Michel Joly, Marc Plantec.