Few names are as closely connected with great white Burgundy as Domaine Leflaive. Based in Puligny-Montrachet, the family estate has become a benchmark for Chardonnay, producing wines known for their purity, precision and remarkable ability to express individual vineyards.

The Leflaive family’s story in Puligny-Montrachet stretches back to 1717, although the Domaine as we know it today took shape under Joseph Leflaive in the early 20th century. After a career as an engineer, Joseph returned his attention to the family vineyards, acquiring and replanting parcels and beginning to bottle wine under the Domaine Leflaive name.

A defining chapter came with his granddaughter, Anne-Claude Leflaive. Taking charge of the Domaine in the 1990s, she began experimenting with biodynamic viticulture, looking for a way to restore greater life and balance to the vineyards. The results convinced her, and by the latter half of the decade the entire estate was being farmed biodynamically. Her work made Domaine Leflaive one of Burgundy’s early leaders in biodynamics and influenced growers well beyond Puligny-Montrachet.

Today, the Domaine remains in family hands under Brice de La Morandière, Anne-Claude’s nephew and the great-grandson of Joseph Leflaive. Its holdings include some of Puligny-Montrachet’s most celebrated vineyards, with 4.8 hectares of Grand Cru and 10.8 hectares of Premier Cru vines. The approach remains centred on the vineyard: careful biodynamic farming, thoughtful winemaking and allowing each site to speak as clearly as possible.

The wines range from beautifully precise expressions of Puligny-Montrachet through to some of Burgundy’s great Grand Crus. What connects them is a sense of clarity and place. These are Chardonnays that can have extraordinary depth and longevity, yet at their best never feel heavy or overworked.

More than three centuries after the Leflaive family first settled in Puligny-Montrachet, Domaine Leflaive remains one of the defining estates of white Burgundy — grounded in its vineyards, shaped by generations of the same family and always focused on what makes each piece of land distinct.