A village level white Burgundy from Olivier Leflaive kicking well above its station

There are some times when you need to throw out the rules – throw out the expectations of what should be good and what should be the best and go with what tastes good.

This is one of them.

I’ve not always been a massive fan of Oliver Leflaive wines, but this 2012 Puligny Montrachet looked simply magnificent yesterday, sticking out amongst the 30 odd white Burgundies around it (right up to Grand Cru level they were too).

The reason why this village-level white worked is that the balance is near perfect. Immediately it looked more powerful, more Puligny than the premier cru Puligny around it, yet without losing minerality. It was attractive because it was more moderate and less overwrought, simply by way of being a village wine – with more controlled oak, fresher fruit and, importantly. more terroir expression to drive it along.

It’s easy to get hooked into the idea that the Grand Cru/1er Cru/Village/Bourgogne pyramid is the absolute arbiter of quality, but sometimes the most balanced, most enjoyable wines don’t agree. Less is indeed more, and less expectations can deliver more enjoyment.

Arguably this doesn’t quite have the complexity, power and grace of the more fancied cru bottlings, but that balance is just impossible not to appreciate. A goldilocks wine, even.

Yes.

Details: 13%, Cork

Tasted: March 2015
Best drinking: 2015-2025
Score: 18.5/20, 94/100
Would I buy it? Absolutely.

Buy online: Wine Searcher