Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2007

I've been a fan of Domaine Leflaive's bourgogne blanc for a while, and one of my first en primeur purchases was a case of the 2002 which we drank in 2008-09 and which gave great pleasure to all who tried it. So I was thrilled to pick up a case of the 2007 at a recent auction. One tends to think of bourgogne blanc as entry-level stuff, but in the case of Domaine Leflaive this is misleading. This wine puts many premier crus to shame but sadly is priced accordingly - it's going for roughly £35 a bottle according to Wine Searcher. Very nice to get it for considerably less than that!

It turned up in a wooden case which I shall be adding to my collection. Although it's a bit early to be drinking it, we couldn't resist a bottle to see how it was getting on. I was in charge of opening it and narrowly avoided dislocating my shoulder getting the cork out, thereby avoiding a trip to the local A&E. (Time to get a new corkscrew, hint hint G.)

We decanted it about half an hour before drinking. It was a light gold colour. We immediately recognised it on the nose - it's one of those wines which has a unique and distinctive smell, quite lemony and oaky. On the palate, it was lovely - well-balanced, elegant and precise but with considerably acidity. Very Puligny in style, which is to be expected as Domaine Leflaive are one of the top producers in Puligny.

I doubt whether I'll ever be in a position to buy their higher end stuff - a quick check of Corneys website shows that the only wine they have from Leflaive at the moment is a 2008 premier cru Meursault which is going for £60, ouch, so it is a real privilege to drink this. It's the kind of wine that makes me sit there with a silly smile on my face. If it were a premier cru, it would be a high 9, verging on a 10.

It's beginning to drink now but if I have any self-control I ought to pace it over the next 5 years. No more than 2 bottles a year then, for special occasions. Definitely not to be drunk on a Monday night just for the hell of it! But then I would never do anything like that.