Start with a respected Burgundian producer who has the ability to select from some of the finest parcels in two of the most prestigious communes for chardonnay in all of Burgundy, the homeland of chardonnay.
Blend and mature those parcels to precise and exacting standards---what the Burgundians call élevage, elevating or lifting up the wine--- and release it at a remarkably low price.
That’s a formula for success.
That’s what Olivier Leflaive does with the Les Setilles Bourgogne Blanc 2009. It’s rare when you find a wine of this quality sporting the humble and unassuming “Bourgogne Blanc” moniker. That’s usually seen on more modest, and, well, unassuming wines.
Although the names of Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, two bastions of Premier Cru and Grand Cru chardonnays, don’t appear on the label, chardonnay from those two are what is inside the bottle.
Leflaive carefully selects from the two communes to achieve roughly a 70% Puligny-Montracher/30% Meursault balance, with Meursault contributing the plump roundness and Puligny-Montrachet the mineral austerity to the pairing.
Leflaive further shows its wisdom by using carefully restrained oak influence in the Les Setilles: this is a chardonnay where the fruit is allowed---encouraged, enabled---to shine through clearly and boldly, with only the lightest hint of vanilla oak to enhance the wine.
Remarkably floral in the nose, fresh and bright, with squirts of lemon zest, this is an enticing chardonnay from start to pleasant finish. The true signal of quiet quality, though, comes through after the taste, when you realize that you’re no longer looking at the elements of the wine, but appreciating the wine for what it is in total. And that’s because the elements come together so seamlessly, in such poised balance, that you stop noticing the details and simply enjoy the wine.
As a final grace note, LeFlaive prices the Les Setilles at a very reasonable price, so you can enjoy more of it. It is Leflaive’s best-selling chardonnay offering, and it’s a steal. And a shame that more people don’t know about it.
Olivier LeFlaive Burgundies are imported to the U.S. by Frederick Wildman Imports.