2024 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
“Un
millésime tout en harmonie, accessible et d’une grande justesse”.
A harmonious vintage, accessible and with great precision.
SOLÈNE PANIGAI, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Solène Panigai
INTRODUCTION
In just over four decades since its beginnings in PulignyMontrachet, Maison Olivier Leflaive has carved out a distinctive place in the Burgundian canon. The house is as impressive for the consistent quality and style of its wines, as for the kaleidoscopic nature of its range — a roll-call of glittering crus, climats and lieux-dits, cuvées made often in tiny volumes, seeking to reflect a sense of place and time.
The picture has evolved over the years, the house developing a highly successful model that combines its own 20 hectares of prime vineyards with those of more than 100 small growers, many of whom have supplied the house for decades. These are not arm’s-length arrangements. In many cases, Olivier Leflaive’s technical team take charge of the vineyards entirely, managing the land as if it were their own. This quietly intensive approach — part ownership, part deep collaboration — underpins a house style defined by purity, detail and site expression. This arrangement also gives Olivier Leflaive access to an extraordinary diversity of terroirs and an impressive blending palette.
2024 marks Solène Panigai’s second year as Technical Director at Olivier Leflaive — and if the 2023 vintage saw a winemaker rising to the challenge, 2024 shows her thriving in the thick of it. This was not the most straightforward of years, by any means, but Solène has shown both grit and grace in guiding the house through it.
Much has been made of 2024’s difficulties. The growing season was cold, wet and deeply unpredictable, with relentless mildew pressure and persistent low light. Vineyards required tending constantly to stay ahead of the challenges, which would eventually overwhelm so many growers.
So it is fortuitous that Solène had decided to review key viticultural procedures ahead of the season. This year, I was especially struck by a renewed sense of purpose in the vineyards. Olivier Leflaive forged an enviable reputation under its previous Technical Director, the recently retired Franck Grux, whose detailed, collaborative approach in the vineyards became the gold standard for a generation. Building on the foundations of her mentor, Solène has reinforced and reorganised the vineyard team to ensure tighter, faster responses on the ground. The aim? Not just damage control, but quality enhancement — and longer term, a more sustainable way of vine-growing. The new vineyard model rewards experience and shared responsibility: smaller, more agile groups, cross-trained and motivated to act with vision and urgency. In a climate-challenged Burgundy, this is more than smart — it is essential.
Meanwhile in the cellar, Solène’s approach to blending is exacting and immersive. Her process is slow, deliberate, and deeply sensory — blending is not a linear formula but a matter of feel, of tasting and retasting. ‘Un vin, c’est un tableau à construire’ she says (‘A wine is a painting to be constructed’) — detail by detail, layer upon layer, introducing this cuvée and that barrique, the picture builds slowly, individual elements dovetailing over time, creating a vision greater than the sum of its parts, and true to its origins.
The wines that have emerged from 2024 are not dramatic or showy, but honest and beautifully judged. This is not a vintage that flaunts its power. But in their clarity, freshness and finesse, these wines speak strongly of place — and of a team deeply, impressively committed to their work.
REBECCA PALMER Associate Director, Head of Merchant Buying
August 2025
A note on allocations and pricing:
Given the challenges of the growing season, production was smaller than usual, and our allocations reflect that. This means that availability of certain wines is limited, and we are unable to run our ‘barrel offer’ this year. On a positive note, you will be pleased to know that Olivier Leflaive have done their best to keep pricing stable. While there are small increases on wines particularly affected in volume, most wines are similarly priced to the 2023 vintage, furthermore — and rather refreshingly — some wines have seen price reductions, which we are passing on.
THE 2024 VINTAGE
For months, 2024 looked set to be a disaster across Burgundy. The winter preceding the growing season smashed all historical records for rainfall, followed by a spring where two days of every three were wet. Compounding the gloom, someone had switched off the sun, which did little to improve the collective mood. Would 2024 join 2013 and 1983 on the podium of ‘Year of Drear’? To find out, a few weeks ago I travelled to Puligny, where I was lucky enough to spend an entire morning with Solène, tasting the wines and getting the lowdown. The following is my account of our conversation, with further precision from Solène’s own notes. So, if you are interested in gleaning more insights into this sorry, soggy season, grab your virtual umbrella and read on!
In humid conditions, mild temperatures in February and March prompted an early budburst, but growth was soon hampered by the lack of light and incessant rain. When spring should have sprung, or at least have started thinking about it, temperatures plummeted instead and the deluges continued. Unsurprisingly perhaps, given the conditions, it was not long before mildew crashed the party, running amok with alacrity. Growers scurried into the vineyards, in a bid to stem the advance.
Despite a brief mild spell in early May, low light and rainfall continued for the rest of the month and throughout June. Against this backdrop, flowering was never going to be a breeze (though a breeze would have been welcome to help dry out the bunches… no such luck!). Instead, the cold, wet conditions led to widespread coulure, reducing future yields, while mildew continued to advance. By this point, almost all Burgundian vineyards were affected to some degree. Recalling this, Solène shook her head: ‘c’était infernal, le mildiou était omniprésent’ (‘it was hell, the mildew was everywhere’).
Throughout this time, the team at Olivier Leflaive worked intensively and continuously both in their own vineyards and with suppliers, battling the onslaught — training and re-training the canopies, ensuring bunches were aerated, and doing so on repeat. The pressure was relentless, Sisyphean work.
At long last, August brought warmth and hope, the sunshine coaxing reticent berries through veraison to ripeness. All too predictably, unpredictable conditions returned in early September, intense rainfall delaying harvest. In mid-September, Solène and her team took advantage of a clear, dry window to bring in the fruit — a fast, focused harvest completed in just nine days.
Despite the team’s tenacity through the spring and summer months, yields were significantly reduced, both in Olivier Leflaive’s vineyards and those of their suppliers. While Chardonnays and Aligotés held up better (crop losses averaged 50-65%, depending on the area), some Pinot Noir vineyards produced just 20% of a ‘normal’ harvest.
However surprising this may sound, the fruit was pristine. The team’s fast, precise interventions had paid off. While sugar levels and therefore alcohols are lower, Solène was delighted (and more than a little relieved!) by the quality and phenolic concentration. I had always assumed that mildew spelt doom for both quantity and quality, but as Solène explained: ‘le mildiou ne touche pas forcément la qualité du raisin’ (mildew does not necessarily affect grape quality). She continued: ‘mildew is not a trauma! The vines are not damaged structurally. It’s not like a hard frost or hailstorm — there is no PTSD! Fruit can still be perfect, if — and only if — you stay ahead in the vineyard. ‘Rien ne remplace le travail à la vigne’ (‘Nothing can replace work in the vineyards’).
At Olivier Leflaive, this has paid off in wines of poise, clarity and surprising charm. The whites have a lovely balance, high acidities have been softened through malolactic fermentation, in combination with moderate alcohols. Some wines have seen extended élevage, to build structure, refine texture and add aromatic nuance through lees contact and bâtonnage — decisions taken with care, cuvée by cuvée, barrel by barrel.
Meanwhile, the reds show beautiful aromatic purity, a sense of freshness and precision. Despite the low light and cool, humid conditions, mildew and coulure resulted paradoxically in better aeration of the bunches, favouring concentration, and the fruit that did make it over the finish line was healthy. Nonetheless, this is a vintage built on finesse rather than power, requiring a gentle approach in the cellar.
The verdict? 2024 may not have the opulence of 2022 or the sunny generosity of 2023, but its wines are elegant, finely drawn and supremely drinkable. This is not a headlinegrabbing vintage. But it is a quietly beautiful one that will shimmer elegantly among the blockbuster vintages of an overheated world.
WINES
ALIGOTÉ
Put away that bottle of crème de Cassis — this is not just ‘any’ Aligoté, it’s Olivier Leflaive’s Aligoté! The fruit of rather smart parcels in Puligny, Meursault and Corpeau, the wine is made with the same care and intent as more ‘exalted’ cuvées. Expressive and uplifting with acacia flowers and citrus zest, a subtle note of blanched almonds leads onto a silky palate that is bright but never sharp. In 2024 (as in 2021 and 2016), the small harvest meant barrel space aplenty, and 50% of the Aligoté blend went into old oak, bringing a gentle roundness without blurring the lines.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2028
Estimated arrival UK: Late 2025/early 2026
£95/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
BOURGOGNE BLANC LES SÉTILLES
An exemplary Bourgogne Blanc, Les Sétilles sets the bar high for style and quality. It is the fruit of 60 small parcels predominantly in Puligny and Meursault, supplemented by selected sites in the Hautes-Côtes and beyond. The cuvée is significant not only commercially (amounting to almost a quarter of Olivier Leflaive’s production) but also philosophically: the wine represents the team’s vision of the vintage, the year in microcosm. The blend is put together over time, with painstaking care. The 2024 is elegant and precise, emblematic of the house style with its classic curve of cool orchard fruit, white flower scent, citrus lift and a whisper of spice from gentle oak élevage. An appetizing wine that speaks clearly of its pedigree and place. Small quantities of half bottles and magnums are also available.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2029
Estimated arrival UK: Early 2026
£120/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£150/CASE OF 12 HALVES, IN BOND UK
£285/CASE OF 6 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
MONTAGNY 1ER CRU BONNEVEAUX
A perennial favourite among C&B staff, Bonneveaux never fails to delight, delivering dynamic, uplifting wines from its sunny, south-facing slope, a superb site every inch the premier cru. Spared the deluges, subsequent coulure and mildew pressures of the Côte d’Or in 2024, Montagny’s top vineyards produced fruit of beautiful quality and in decent volumes too. Expressive and enticing, Bonneveaux 2024 crackles with energy, its creamy orchard fruit bright with lemon peel and a hint of pleasing reduction. A pure, racy Montagny, already showing its class.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2029
Estimated arrival UK: Early 2026
£175/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£400/CASE OF 6 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
PERNAND-VERGELESSES
Pernand sits in the shadow of the Hill of Corton and its wines follow the sense of structure and stone of their illustrious neighbour, albeit in a quieter register. Olivier Leflaive’s Pernand is a blend of two small parcels in south-west facing Combottes and east-facing Les Pins, the combination giving a precise, fine-boned profile of cool orchard fruit and wet stone minerality. The 2024 is vivid and intense, with a precise, ballerina poise. Modest in alcohol, long on charm, with a chiselled, focused finish. Will drink well from the getgo, but reward medium-term cellaring. The downside: our allocation is tiny — catch it while you can.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2030
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£215/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
AUXEY-DURESSES
LA MACABRÉE
This part of Auxey-Duresses is a continuation of Meursault, and its wines have a similar classic structure, generosity of fruit and mineral line. La Macabrée parcel lies on a steep, south-east facing slope at 300-350m, close to Meursault’s prized Les Meix Chavaux and Vireuils. Fortunately, in this cooler, wetter year, the altitude and aspect helped preserve the integrity of the fruit, the calcareous marls draining excess moisture. The result is a super wine that exemplifies the parcel’s lifted, mineral take on Auxey — precise and upright, with just enough weight. There is a lovely latent fleshiness to the fruit, while notes of fresh white nuts, citrus oil and savoury miso add dimension, underscored by the sensation of fresh chalk.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2030
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£210/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU EN REMILLY
En Remilly lies atop the slope above Chevalier-Montrachet, a windswept plateau strewn with chalk pebbles, giving wines with an airy, energetic profile. In the cool, sodden summer of 2024, this stony, high-altitude site fared particularly well, its exposure to the elements helping aerate the bunches, while bony soils wicked away excess moisture. The resulting wine is one of the most ‘complete’ En Remillys in recent years. Taut and vivid, firm and mineral, this is a wine alive with energy, subtle jasmine weaving with oyster shells, tight, bright orchard fruit dancing on crushed rock (now there’s an image!). Yet, there is a sense of silk beneath the chalk. The oak is delicately handled, framing a wine that feels just ripe enough, tensile, beautifully judged.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2030
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£285/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU DENTS DE CHIEN
If En Remilly is sleek and stony, Dents de Chien is darker in profile. Higher and more exposed even than En Remilly, on rich calcareous clays, the Dents de Chien parcel is sensitive to climatic extremes, and its wines translate the conditions of the growing season with great transparency. The 2024 demonstrates this in a wine of tangible energy, its firm structure reverberating with minerals, creamy layers of baked apple fruit held in tension, infused with chalk. A wine of grip and gravitas, age-worthy and complex.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2030
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£285/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET LES MEIX
A longstanding favourite of the C&B team, and we buy every single bottle made! From a gentle slope just below the premier cru of Pucelles, Les Meix captures the distinctive precision of Puligny without ostentation. This is particularly true of 2024: the wine is ripe yet taut and crystalline, with its signature white blossom scent, gentle curve of orchard fruit and fine white line of acid, the oak dialled in just enough to support. Solène noted the pristine nature of the fruit from this parcel — and the wine reflects that calm. Unforced, long-line, true to its origins, this is an exquisite Les Meix. A small number of magnums are also available.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2032+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£440/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£925/CASE OF 6 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
MEURSAULT CLOS DE LA VELLE
A monopole vineyard with 45-year-old vines, Clos de la Velle gives a classic Meursault with curves in all the right places, though never in excess. 2024 produced a crop of small, neat berries, yielding a Meursault of surprising focus. The profile is all there — ripe baked apples and poached pears spiked with nutmeg, the creamy midpalate and whisper of brown butter. Yet there is also a sense of freshness and sapidity, giving elegance. Structured and complete, with a lovely mineral taper and sense of chalk — a grown-up Meursault. A small number of magnums are also available this year, bottled specially for us.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2030 Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£375/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
£790/CASE OF 6 MAGNUMS, IN BOND UK
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET BLANCHOTS
The Blanchots lieu-dit is an extension of CriotsBâtard-Montrachet, and while the terrain is flatter and has deeper, clay-rich soils than its famous grand cru neighbour, there is a regal quality to this wine — Chassagne in a more refined register, perhaps. This year is no exception, and while yields were even tinier in 2024, the fruit was perfect. The resulting wine is an exercise in clarity and elegance, balancing soft pear and citrus with a saline, stony palate, lifted by a dusting of white spice. Not overtly rich, but persistent and quietly polished. Will drink young but has the structure to evolve beautifully.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2035+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£395/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES REFERTS
The climat of Les Referts lies a stone’s throw from Meursault Charmes, and while its wines exemplify the fine-boned Puligny structure, there is an alluring generosity to the fruit too. Somehow spared the ravages of mildew, Olivier Leflaive’s parcel delivered healthy bunches of beautifully balanced fruit that surprised even Solène! The resulting wine is expressive and focused, layering jasmine scent and smoke. The palate is alive with pear and quince that hint at decadence, held in check all the while by exquisite acids. A dynamic Referts, riding the high wire of power and elegance with customary panache.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19
Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2035+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£320/CASE OF 3 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU ABBAYE DE MORGEOT
Olivier’s Abbaye de Morgeot parcel was one of his first vineyard acquisitions, so the wine holds special significance in the house range. This warm, southfacing plot on deep clay-limestone soils gives multilayered, expansive wines with drive and dimension. In this cooler year, beset by challenges, Morgeot maintains its impressive stature, with firm layers of silky orchard and stone fruit, toasted white nuts and a flash of flint. Compact now, held tight by its thrilling acids and savoury mineral cut, the wine will reward medium-term cellaring.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19
Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2035+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£310/CASE OF 3 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
SANTENAY
Supple and juicy, Olivier Leflaive’s Santenay combines two contrasting parcels, the first (Derrere le Crais) on cool, chalk-rich soils, the second (Les Prarons Dessus) on deeper clays. The blend this year has yielded a delicate, precise Santenay with poise and charm, its bright cherry fruit and hint of liquorice supported by soft, earthy tannins and a sapid, mineral finish. Delicious and supremely drinkable.
Corney & Barrow Score 18+
Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2031+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£175/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
PERNAND-VERGELESSES 1ER CRU LES FICHOTS
Below Corton, this east-facing climat with excellent sun exposure is highly sought-after for its refined Pernands, highly reflective of the style and density of the vintage. Olivier Leflaive’s fruit comes from a parcel of 50-yearold vines, which this year yielded a minuscule crop of concentrated grapes. Given the vintage conditions, Solène and the team took a particularly gentle approach to the fruit, honouring its transparency. The resulting wine is harmonious and lifted, with delicate aromatics of raspberries, tea leaf and crushed rose, the palate supple and ripe, yet without excess or overt oak. The fruit is supported by a fine, chalky line of tannins. Emblematic of the vintage, a Pernand of precision and grace.
Corney & Barrow Score 18.5
Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2032+
Estimated arrival UK: Spring 2026
£200/CASE OF 6 BOTTLES, IN BOND UK
Tasting Guide
Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. For the benefit of simplicity, wines are scored out of 20. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score.
Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.
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