Meursault 1er cru Sous le Dos d'Âne 2024 Domaine Leflaive

The Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne 2024 from Domaine Leflaive is a great white from the Côte de Beaune, airy, finely chiselled and remarkably taut. Sourced from an upper slope Premier Cru bordering Puligny Montrachet, it combines the richness of Meursault with the mineral finesse that is the hallmark of the estate. This bottle gives access to the Compagnon tier of the Confrérie des Clos Vivants.

The terroir and the vines
Sous le Dos d’Âne sits high on the Meursault slope, in the Blagny sector, close to the boundary with Puligny Montrachet. Its name refers to the rounded shape of the ground, likened to the back of a donkey. The Chardonnay vines grow at altitude on shallow, marly limestone soils with good exposure. This cool site produces wines that are taut, precise and highly mineral, more linear than most Meursaults. The estate farms biodynamically and harvests by hand. In 2024, a fresh and demanding vintage yielded small crops and white wines of great precision, bright with freshness.

Tasting profile
The colour is pale gold with green highlights. The nose opens on lemon, green apple and pear, with notes of white flowers, hazelnut, fresh almond and gunflint. The palate is straight and energetic, with a fine, silky texture carried by luminous acidity. The finish is long, saline and mineral. It will gain complexity over eight to ten years.

The estate
Based in Puligny Montrachet since 1717, Domaine Leflaive is one of the most illustrious names in Burgundy. It owns vines in the greatest climats of the Côte de Beaune, including Montrachet, Chevalier Montrachet and Bâtard Montrachet. Under the impetus of Anne Claude Leflaive, it was among the pioneers of biodynamics in Burgundy from the 1990s. Now directed by Brice de La Morandière, it remains an absolute reference for the great white wines of the world.

Food and wine pairing
Serve between 11 and 13 °C, decanting briefly if young. It will flatter a turbot with beurre blanc, pan seared scallops, roast lobster, Bresse chicken with morels or veal sweetbreads in cream. Among cheeses, it pairs well with a 24 month Comté or a Cîteaux.