Olivier Leflaive

The Leflaive family has always had a few hectares of vines in Burgundy, in addition to their farm.

Just after the First World War, Olivier’s grandfather, Joseph Leflaive was faced with the failure of his steel factory in Saint-Étienne.

His investments in Burgundy were all he had left and he decided to enlarge his wine estate. It became a family run operation covering some 35 hectares.

His son, Joseph Régis, was in insurance and, along with his brother Vincent, decided to take over the reins in 1953.

The estate soon began producing topflight wines, mainly due to the arrival of air conditioning in Puligny in the 1970s.

This was a major step for winemakers in this village which sits two meters above the water table and as such, had no underground cellars.

The Harvest

After each year of hard work in the vines, harvest time comes. It is always with great enthusiasm and not without a shudder that they approach this crucial period.

Around a hundred students, friends, seasonal workers, members of the Leflaive family and many others, often regulars, meet for around two weeks.

Exhausting work, largely compensated by the meetings, the laughter, the songs… in short, great moments of sharing!

Careful acquisitions

Olivier has continued to expand his estate since its creation. Running the business means guaranteeing maximum control over the vines. Today, the estate covers some 17 hectares, and is the result of carefully managed acquisitions over the years.

Production

They vinify and age the equivalent of 120 hectares of vines (including 17 of their own), the majority of which are white wines from the three prestigious Côte de Beaune villages of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, as well as from Chablis and the Côte Chalonnaise.

Their daily mission is to produce top quality grapes. This involves a sustainable approach to working the vines and supporting partner winegrowers in cultivating their plots using an organic or biodynamic approach.

That said, they have not any organic certification as they’ll use chemical treatment if it’s absolutely necessary.

The négoce business

When Olivier began, a large part of his purchases was wine because he didn’t have the necessary equipment to buy in grapes or must (nonfermented grape juice).

Gradually, this proportion decreased and today, some 95% of purchases are of grapes and must, signifying better control over the process.

The aim is to continually improve the quality through prudent investment in the production apparatus.

The Estate

For many years, Olivier and Patrick have wanted to grow the estate, and taking over the family legacy of Domaine Leflaive seemed like a natural development in their shared adventure. Having been director of the estate with his uncle Vincent and then his cousin Anne-Claude from 1982 to 1994, it was important to Olivier to be able to share his vision of these prestigious appellations.

The vines grow on terroirs whose reputations speak for themselves. They include Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Les Folatières and Les Pucelles in Puligny-Montrachet, and Blagny Sous le Dos d’Ane in Meursault - great names that evoke great moments.

Historic properties of the Domaine Leflaive, the vines have been cultivated according to biodynamic principles for over 20 years. This philosophy is continued to this day.