Vinification at Olivier Laflaive

Olivier Leflaive wines have a distinct vinification process that extends well beyond their terroirs, or lands. Each wine and its various appellations has a tremendous amount of history and pedigree that enters into its vinification, as each appellate is measured against the last. The story of vinification at Olivier Laflaive is therefore a story of progression and refinement, which makes each wine distinct from the other.

Differences in the vinification process

At every step in the vinification process, which is loosely defined as the steps taken once grapes are ready for harvesting and wine production, there exists a myriad number of ways to change the forthcoming taste of the wine. These subtle changes are measured and recorded for each vintage so that one year's vintage enhances the next year's. For example, the amount of time a grape ages on the lees varies depending on temperature of the season and professional tasting. The maceration process can last any number of days as well, to the tastes of the winery.

A study in contrasts: The Montrachet Wines

The Montrachet wines show the difference that the vinification process can make in developing a different flavor for wines that come from terroirs that share common elements. The Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet both come from terroirs rich in clay deposits, which enables them to age well and allows for an evolution of flavor that many other wines simply cannot produce. However, the two wines are (to a dedicated wine enthusiast) remarkably different in flavor and mouth-feel. Their processes use different ageing of oak barrels, different increments of time during the aging and racking, and so on. While most wines follow a static structure to how they are produced, these minute differences during the process allow Olivier Leflaive wines to carry a distinction in the market unlike any other.

Olivier Leflaive prides itself in tremendous wines of superior quality, and lives up to these lofty standards by setting an exact vinification process for each of its vintages based on a wide variety of both internal and external influences.