Wine for sale: Valentin Leflaive
Valentin Leflaive
When the Leflaive family of Burgundy take root in Champagne, the result is sparkling wines of remarkable complexity. Valentin Leflaive, son of Olivier, now steers the house with not-to-be-missed parcel-based cuvées.
Leaving Puligny-Montrachet behind, we arrive in Oger, at the heart of the Côte des Blancs, with the Leflaive family. The house takes its name from Olivier Leflaive’s son, Valentin, who since 2020 has overseen the family’s Champagne cellars. He works alongside Jean Soubeyrand, chairman of the management board, and Elysé Brigandat, cellar master (formerly of Drappier).
The négociant-manipulant (NM) sources grapes from neighbouring villages such as Avize, Le Mesnil-sur-Oger and Blancs-Coteaux In the winery, a multitude of small vessels host the grapes, with ageing on lees carried out either in stainless steel tanks or Burgundy pièces.
The labels themselves are original, coded for clarity: the first letters indicate the terroir, the two numbers give the vintage, and the final number reveals the dosage. Yellow lettering signifies a Blanc de Blancs, while red denotes a Blanc de Noirs. This is Champagne with a Burgundian soul?–?for lovers of both regions, look no further.
