2018 Meursault, Clos de la Barre, Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Burgundy
Critics reviews
Faint lime tint to the colour. Very clean and chiselled nose, the Lafon precision at play. Then the length. All in white fruit, soft texture, some liquorice notes, medium density but persistent.
Drink 2026 - 2030
Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy (October 2019)
There is a phenolic note (think olive or nut oil elements) to the notably ripe white and yellow orchard fruit that includes hints of apricot, white peach and passion fruit that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. There is good verve to the delicious medium-bodied flavours that possess fine mid-palate density that is offset by the firm acid spine supporting the chiselled, linear and bone-dry finale. This is more tightly wound than it usually is and should reward mid-term cellaring.
Drink 2025+
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (June 2021)
The 2018 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre is a clear step up from the Désirée, showing much more delineation and more Meursault-like in character, with touches of hazelnut infusing the red apple and light peeled peach skin aromas. The oak here seems to be better integrated. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and touches of orange peel and apricot. Fresh and focused, culminating in a persistent spicy finish. Excellent.
Drink 2023 - 2038
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (December 2020)
The 2018 Meursault Clos de la Barre wafts from the glass with scents of waxy citrus rind, fresh pear, mandarin oil, and warm pastry. It is followed by a medium to full-bodied, attractively deep, and complete palate. This is the raciest, most structured, and most serious of the domaine's communal-level bottlings, and it will be well worth seeking out.
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2020)
‘The high yields saved us from unbalanced wines’, explained Dominique Lafon. Barrel sample.
Seductively creamy and mealy. Rich and creamy, quite soft but full of lovely citrus richness without fat. Generous and still fresh on the citrusy finish. Generous and caressing. Mouth-watering and moreish.
Drink 2022 - 2027
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (December 2019)
Dominique Lafon's home vineyard is always one of the most complete expressions of Meursault and the 2018 is no exception. Picked in three stages according to the age of the vines between August 26th and September 3rd, this is focused, weighty and very lightly wooded, with lovely harmony, depth and complexity and a racy, palate-cleansing finish.
Drink 2021 - 2028
Tim Atkin MW, Decanter.com (October 2019)
About this WINE
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
Domaine des Comtes Lafon is based in Meursault, where it has holdings in each of the finest Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in Meursault. They have a reputation for maintaining the signature character of each site in their wines. They don’t rest on their laurels, though, their red wines from their Volnay Premiers Crus are increasingly popular and should not be overlooked.
The domaine was established in 1869 by the Boch family and has remained in their care ever since – only changing its name when Marie Boch married Comte Jules Lafon in ‘94. When fourth-generation Dominique Lafon took charge in 1985, Domaine des Comtes Lafon already had a reputation for unconventional yet outstanding white wines.
At the time, most of the vineyards were leased out to sharecroppers; but by ‘93 Dominique had reclaimed all of his family’s vineyards and assumed full control of the domaine. Not only are the Lafons’ 15 individual vineyards located in the best appellations in Meursault and Volnay, but they tend to be very well situated within them, and are now cultivated according to organic and biodynamic principles. In 2010, Jasper Morris wrote in his book ‘Inside Burgundy’, that their white wines were “now consistently among the best in Burgundy, while since 1989 the reds have reached the top division”.
In ‘99 the Lafon family branched out, buying a domaine in the Mâconnais at Milly-Lamartine and making wines under the name of ‘Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon’. More recently, Dominique Lafon has also established a small label of his own bearing his own name.
When Dominique Lafon’s father René took over the domaine in 1956, he undertook a significant replanting programme in cooperation with the sharecroppers who managed much of his vineyards. Care for the vines is still paramount under Dominique’s stewardship; all vineyards returned to family control in ‘93, were fully converted to organic viticulture in ‘95 and to biodynamic in ‘98. The average age of the vines is maintained at around 40 years, and yields are kept low at about 35 hectolitres per hectare.
Wines are made differently each year due to practical reasons and vintage variation. However, there are some common practices.
Chardonnay grapes are whole-bunch pressed, settled in tanks at cool temperatures and then fermented and aged in wood. No new oak is used for the village wines; 25-40% new oak is typically used for the Premiers Crus and 100% for Le Montrachet, though these are subsequently racked into older wood where they spend a second winter before bottling.
The Pinot Noir grapes are 100% destemmed and vinified in stainless steel. Wines are matured for 18-22 months in about 30% new oak and are racked twice before bottling without fining or filtration whenever possible.
Domaine des Comtes Lafon have been certified as organic since 1995, and although biodynamic principles have been used since ‘98, they have not sought to become Demeter certified – citing “too much paperwork” as the main reason. The two newer businesses in the family portfolio are also organic, and when new vineyards are acquired, each is converted as soon as possible thereafter.
Meursault
There are more top producers in Meursault than in any other commune of the Côte d’Or. Certainly it is the most famous and popular of the great white appellations. Its wines are typically rich and savoury with nutty, honeyed hints and buttery, vanilla spice from the oak.
Even though it is considerably larger than its southerly neighbours Chassagne and Puligny, Meursault contains no Grands Crus. Its three best Premiers Crus, however – Les Perrières, Les Genevrières and Les Charmes – produce some of the region’s greatest whites: they are full, round and powerful, and age very well. Les Perrières in particular can produce wines of Grand Cru quality, a fact that is often reflected in its price. Meursault has also been one of the driving forces of biodynamic viticulture in the region, as pioneered by Lafon and Leflaive.Many of the vineyards below Premier Cru, known as ‘village’ wines, are also well worth looking at. The growers vinify their different vineyard holdings separately, which rarely happens in Puligny or Chassagne. Such wines can be labelled with the ‘lieu-dit’ vineyard alongside (although in smaller type to) the Meursault name.
Premier Cru Meursault should be enjoyed from five to 15 years of age, although top examples can last even longer. Village wines, meanwhile, are normally at their best from three to 10 years.
Very occasionally, red Meursault is produced with some fine, firm results. The best red Pinot Noir terroir, Les Santenots, is afforded the courtesy title of Volnay Santenots, even though it is actually in Meursault.
- 305 hectares of village Meursault. The best vineyards include Clos de la Barre, Tesson, Chevalières, Rougeot, Narvaux
- 132 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (17 in all). The finest vineyards include Les Perrières, Les Genevrières and Les Charmes
- Recommended producers: Comte Lafon, Arnaud Ente, Coche Dury, Guy Roulot, Jean-Philippe Fichet, Patrick Javillier, François Jobard, Michel Bouzereau
- Recommended restaurant: Le Chevreuil
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
There is a phenolic note (think olive or nut oil elements) to the notably ripe white and yellow orchard fruit that includes hints of apricot, white peach and passion fruit that are trimmed in just enough wood to notice. There is good verve to the delicious medium-bodied flavours that possess fine mid-palate density that is offset by the firm acid spine supporting the chiselled, linear and bone-dry finale. This is more tightly wound than it usually is and should reward mid-term cellaring.
Drink 2025+
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (June 2021)
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