Producer note: As I reported in Issue 94, long-time régisseur Franck Grux has retired after 34 years in favor of the young Solène Panagai, who conducted this year's tasting. She briefly noted that "we picked from the 24th of August to the 6th of September and brought in yields of around 50 hl/ha for the chardonnay thanks partially to the fact that there was virtually no sorting required. Sugars were good without being high so there was no chaptalization. It was clear from the beginning that the wines would be rich and generous so we did almost no lees stirring. Initially the wines seemed to lack a bit of personality but the élevage has really helped as they have improved month by month, in particular by gaining precision and vibrancy. I quite like them and while I don't have a lot of experience with past vintages, they remind a bit of our 2020s." See too the reviews for Maison Olivier Leflaive immediately below. (Frederick Wildman and Sons, www.frederickwildman.com NY, USA; Corney & Barrow, www.corneyandbarrow.com, Lay & Wheeler, www.laywheeler.com, Private Cellar Ltd., www.privatecellar.co.uk and Haynes, Hanson & Clark, www.hhandc.com, all UK).
Tasting note: Elegant, cool and very pure aromas include those of mineral reduction, acacia blossom, just sliced citrus and various white fleshed fruit scents. The notably sleek large-bodied flavors possess only average density though there is slightly better depth and persistence on the sappy and impeccably well-balanced finale. This is a refined Bâtard that should age gracefully over the mid to even longer-term.
