Even after 5 years the nose remains restrained but exceptionally elegant and pure with aromas of white flower, green apple, pear and wet stone. There is plenty of minerality to the rich, full and highly energetic flavors that tighten up considerably on the detailed, minerally and moderately dry finish that displays distinct citrus and mineral nuances. This is still quite tight and linear with huge amounts of dry extract that renders the very firm acid spine almost invisible at present though the long finish is clearly shaped by it. This magnificent Chevalier is now knocking on the door of its full maturity though I stress that there is no rush to drink up as this should hold well for years. Tasted many times with consistent results with those bottles that are not premoxed but I have had five bottles opened in March and April 2019, and another in May 2022, that were.

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This magnum of the 2008 Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru is an original release, and it is a little more developed than the "reconditioned" 750-milliliter bottle I reviewed last year. Offering up aromas of mandarin orange, marmalade, honeycomb, fresh pastry, white flowers and vanilla pod, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and penetrating, with lively acids and a long, exotic finish. While this is drinking well, it's a little open-knit for a 12-year-old Chevalier-Montrachet, especially in magnum, and—as with most Leflaive white Burgundies from this era of endemic premature oxidation—I wouldn't bet on it making old bones. In that respect, it was interesting to see what a difference the domaine's reconditioning had made to the last example of this wine that I encountered.

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