Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru 2022

This emblematic premier cru is a lovely introduction to Domaine Leflaive, with hints of passionfruit, pomelo, coconut milk, spice and smoke. The texture is lush with extract, but there is enough acidity to bring everything into balance. Although this 2022 doesn’t show the same intensity or concentration of the other premier cru wines, the combination of ripe fruit and smoky reductive notes make it a tempting wine for mid-term cellaring.

2022 There is just enough reduction to push the fruit to the background though a whiff of floral character can be discerned. On the palate there is both more volume and concentration to the beautifully textured middlewei750.00ght flavors that are also appealingly vibrant and particularly so on the complex, balanced and impressively long finale. This is notably better than it usually is and a wine that should amply repay a decade or so of keeping.

The 2022 Puligny-Montrachet Clavaillon 1er Cru is much more backward and rocky on the nose; sea spray and crustacea come through with aeration. The palate is fresh and malic, with plenty of energy. It is a little spicy towards the finish with a persistent peppery aftertaste. The palate was more expressive on the day that I tasted it, though it seemed just a couple of paces behind Leflaive's other Premier Crus. Cellar for two or three years.