History
If you want to know what Champagne Valentin Leflaive aspires to, you have to go back to the end of the 1980s. Back then, Oliver Leflaive tried to buy Champagne Salon from Besserat de Bellefon together with Anselme Sélosse. Nothing came of it. In 1989, Bernard de Nonancourt bought the legendary champagne house and incorporated it into the Laurent-Perrier Group. A good 30 years later, Leflaive ventured a new attempt. He bought grapes from the 2014 vintage and had them vinified by winemaker friend Erick de Sousa. In 2018, the first cuvées were launched on the market under the name of his son Valentin, who was born in 2007. Under the direction of Jean Soubeyrand, Chairman of the Board of Maison Olivier Leflaive, the house then set up its own production facilities in Oger. Finally, in 2020, Champagne Valentin Leflaive was granted official négociant status and was able to vinify grapes in its own cellar for the first time in the fall of that year. In June 2023, Elysé Brigandat, who came from Champagne Drappier, replaced Christophe Pithois as chef de cave.
This was the first time a Burgundian trading house had put down roots in Champagne. In fact, Maison Olivier Leflaive is based in Puligny-Montrachet and can look back on a long tradition. The family is first documented in 1580 with Marc Le Flayve near Beaune. Towards the end of the 19th century, Joseph Leflaive expanded the family vineyard from 2 to 25 hectares. After his death in 1953, his sons Jo and Vincent took over the estate. In 1982, Olivier Leflaive took the place of his father Jo. Olivier also founded his own trading company alongside the Domaine, which was to become problematic in 1990 when cousin Anne-Claude took over from her father Vincent. The dispute between the two ended with the dismissal of managing director Olivier Leflaive. What felt like a catastrophe for him later turned out to be a happy ending. Today, the two houses co-exist successfully Since 2010, it’s Olivier’s son-in-law Jean Soubeyrand, who manages Maison Olivier Leflaive.
Style
Burgundian winemaking philosophy rules the champagnes from Champagne Valentin Leflaive. This means that the grapes used are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and (almost) exclusively single-varietal. There is also a clear distinction in the origin of the grapes: The Chardonnays come from the Côtes des Blancs, the Pinot Noirs from the Montagne de Reims, currently Verzenay and Verzy in the north-east. The harvest is sourced from around 12 hectares of contract winegrowers; the estate does not yet have any vineyards of its own. The vineyards are cultivated according to the “culture raisonnée”, i.e. with the use of herbicides only when necessary and not as a preventative measure as in conventional viticulture. The discussion about biodynamics was one of the main points of debate between Olivier and Anne-Claude Leflaive at the time. The emphasis on the base vintages, if the cuvées are not vintage champagnes anyway, also reveals a Burgundian self-image. And, of course, the terroir approach. In other words, the emphasis on origin in the sense of villages (“crus” in Champagne) and individual vineyards, the lieux-dits.
In line with this approach, the batches from each individual parcel are vinified separately, which is why there are a number of different fermentation vats in the cellar. And here too, the origin from the neighboring region to the south sets the tone. In addition to stainless steel, used pièces (228 liters) from the parent company are also used, in which Pulignys and Meursaults were previously matured. The exception is the Pinot from Verzenay, for which a fuder barrel was purchased. Malolactic fermentation is partially blocked because “freshness, tension and the minerality of chalk” are the house’s stylistic guiding principles, as cellar master Elysé Brigandat put it in an interview. This is also reflected in the low dosage, which is actually always in the extra brut. The cuvées currently on show do not yet have a very long second fermentation in the bottle. It remains to be seen whether this is a stylistic decision, as is the case with some growers in Champagne. Or simply due to the still young history of the estate.
Portfolio
According to Champagne Valentin Leflaive, the aim is to “replicate the codes of Burgundy in Champagne”. This clear approach actually accounts for a good part of the importance that the young champagne house already has. It structures its portfolio of currently 14 cuvées in a pyramid similar to Burgundy. There is a designation system of colors, numbers and (occasionally) letters to support this. The colors are yellow for Chardonnay (which makes up around 70 percent of the range), red for Pinot Noir and pink for rosé. The numbers stand first for the leading base wine or a vintage, and second for the dosage. In the more recent bottlings, figures such as 3.0 refer more logically to 3 grams of dosage per liter than the previous 30. Letters refer to cuvées in the entry-level range, such as BA for Bouzy and Ambonnay. M should one day stand for “Millésime”, i.e. vintage champagne, of which there is currently none in the range.
In concrete terms, the so-called “signatures” are at the base. Firstly, the Σ (pronounced Sigma) 20 4.0, a pure Chardonnay champagne from seven municipalities in the Côtes des Blancs. It is accompanied by a second Blanc de Blancs, the CV 19 3.0 from Cramant and Vertus. And finally, the MA 18 6.0 rosé, the only blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (from Le Mesnil and Ambonnay). There are currently seven cuvées at the second level of the Villages or Crus. Four Blancs de Blancs Grand Cru: Le Mesnil-sur-Oger 17 5.0, Avize 18 4.0, Oger 20 3.0 and Cramant 20 2.0. Two Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru: Verzenay 20 3.0 and Verzy 20 4.0, as well as a Rosé Grand Cru, Verzenay 20 6.0, also made entirely from Pinot Noir. At the top are four lieux-dits. Two Blancs de Blancs, namely the Premier Cru Dizy Les Terres Rouges 20 4.0 and the Grand Cru Oger Les Peignottes 20 3.0, followed by the Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Verzenay Les Correttes 20 3.0 and the Rosé Grand Cru Verzenay Les Marquises 20 5.0 (again pure Pinot Noir).
The Tasting
After a sneak preview of the current range in October (more here), the winery made seven cuvées available for tasting. The first was the Cuvée Σ 20 4.0, which contains 28 percent reserves in addition to the base wines from 2020. The perlage is lively, the bouquet is dominated by ripe apple, honeydew melon and tangerine as well as some lactic notes at the beginning. Ripe, powerful and quite soft on the palate, but gains precision with food. Appears sweeter than the mere 4 grams of dosage would suggest (89-90 p.)
Oger 20 3.0 (10% reserves) is darker in expression, with apples, coconut blossom sugar and coffee on the nose. Quite opulent texture with medium acidity, but initially quite aromatic on the palate. With a little air, it soon becomes much more complex, with an iodine-salty finish (92 p.). The counterpart to this is the “ brighter” and almost somewhat overt Cramant 20 2.0. Slender, pure and very dry, a lovely aperitif (91 P.)
The pale pink hue of the Verzy 20 4.0 reveals the Pinot Noir. Notes of raspberries and blackberries are also typical. With a lively but fine mousse, broad shoulders, firm body and precise acidity, the champagne is extremely lively. The wine beautifully combines the coolness and power of the vineyards in the north-eastern Montagne de Reims. It is also an excellent accompaniment to food and quite suitable for some bottle ageing (92 p.). The same applies to the Rosé d’assemblage Verzenay 20 6.0. For a single-varietal Pinot Noir, this champagne has plenty of playfulness and elegance. Its bouquet is dominated by strawberries, apples and spices, with a remarkable depth on the palate (92 p.). As with some other cuvées, the vines for this champagne are 55 years old, which is usually communicated elsewhere as “Vieilles Vignes” (old vines). Perhaps this is one reason for the remarkable complexity – despite the relatively short bottle fermentation.
The Lieu-dits
Of the four lieu-dits on offer, I was able to taste two, and it was indeed the Oger 20 3.0 Les Peignottes that had caught my attention in 2024. It confirmed its class once again in this tasting. The nose reveals white flowers, citrus notes, orange zest and brioche. Multi-layered on the palate, but crystal clear and very “juicy” (95 p.). “Burgundian in expression, without denying the Champagne”, commented a fellow taster. The same juiciness with great aromatic finesse also characterizes the Verzenay Les Corettes 20 3.0. Here, of course, aromas of red berries, stone fruits and some toast predominate. On the palate, the champagne is somewhat more vinous and direct than the Oger, although the latter is probably due to its youth. Currently 93 points with a forecast for more. The first five cuvées were disgorged in October 2023, the two lieu-dits in November 2023. The house will present six new lieu-dits in spring 2025.
Image rights
Stefan Pegatzky / Time Tunnel Images
