Domaine Leflaive is one of the most famous wineries in Burgundy. The history of the domaine can be traced back centuries, but Joseph Leflaive is said to be the actual founder of today's winery. Shortly after the end of the First World War, he had to cope with the bankruptcy of his steelworks and decided to return to his homeland in Burgundy in order to continue the winemaking tradition of his ancestors and to expand his winery.

In the decades that followed, the winery flourished into a family business, whose cultivation area stretched over 10 hectares. In 1953, his son Joseph Régis and his brother Vincent took over the management of the winery, which soon produced internationally recognized top wines.

However, the current reputation of the domaine is irrevocably linked to Joseph Régi's son Olivier, who was born in 1945. After graduating with a degree in commerce, Olivier decided, much to his father's disappointment, not to pursue a career as a winemaker, but to live the life of a bohemian in the Parisian cultural scene.

Olivier's passion was music rather than viticulture. For many years he worked in television and radio and as an agent for artists. In the early 1980s, Olivier underwent a change of heart that his country, family and heritage were inescapable to him. According to his own statement, he felt obliged to follow in the footsteps of his father and the 17 generations that lived before him. In 1982, Olivier joined his family's winemaking business as co-manager of Domaine Leflaive and two years later founded his own brand "Olivier Leflaive Frères". Olivier Leflaive retired in 2010, but to this day the image of the domain is indelibly linked to the name of its former owner.

Production area and wines of Domaine Leflaive

The domaine's growing area now covers around 17 hectares, which have been carefully bought up over the years. The wines of the domaine have been among the noble top wines in France for decades. Especially in the 1920s and 1940s, the domaine produced some iconic vintages. Their harvest is always sold out to this day.

The winegrowers in the growing region work meticulously to ensure the top quality of their wines. In order to transfer the richness of the must to the wine, they let it ferment very slowly without filtering and give it sufficient time to mature in oak barrels. The result: white and red wines with an indescribable intensity of taste. The winery is particularly famous for its Chardonnays, but the domaine's red wines are also very popular far beyond the borders of France.

The philosophy of Domaine Leflaive

Olivier Leflaive's philosophy is still at the core of the domaine today: simply producing great wines. The secret of the excellent quality of his winery lies in the quality of the vines and their grapes. Although the quality of the harvest is crucial for a great wine, vinification also plays an important role in bringing out the essence of each vintage. The estate therefore pursues the approach of treating each cuvée individually. Behind this individual treatment lies the work of a team that has reflected the family spirit of the owners for decades. A solid core of employees ensure that the wines of Domaine Leflaive are among the best in France year after year.

However, Olivier Leflaive's vocation is not only to produce excellent wines, but also to enable wine lovers to have the most personal and intensive contact possible with the wines from his domain. In order to immerse lovers of the Domaine Leflaive in the world of the winery, the family built a restaurant and a hotel where guests can still enjoy a fantastically beautiful oenotourism experience in Burgundy, from the vine to the glass.