2018 Pouilly-Fuissé, En Chatenay, Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Burgundy
Critics reviews
This site, now mentioned on the label, is a north-facing slope in Vergisson. It is made partly in ex-Meursault barrels, partly demi-muid and partly in foudre, blended in July, given a few months on lees in tank but now bottled.
It shows a little more colour than the other cuvees but with a nervy note to the bouquet. It is very backwards on the palate, with white fruit, excellent tension, great acidity and a very fine, dense finish.
Jasper Morrisv MW, InsideBurgundy.com (November 2019)
Gon noted that this had yet to be assembled, so the sample I was served may be slightly different from the final blend. The nose is unreadable due to the strong sulfur influence. Otherwise, there is excellent richness to the more refined medium-weight flavours that possess very good mid-palate density and slightly better depth and precision on the impressively long finish.
Drink from 2025 onward
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com (October 2019)
1.5 ha (3.7 acres), including a little bit of Chardonnay Musqué. Took them a while to understand the site: cold, north-facing in the commune of Vergisson, late harvested. One-third in barrel, one-third in demi-muids and one-third in foudre (20 hl).
Rich, spicy and cedary with great depth of fruit. Firm, intense on the mid-palate and yet super-fresh. Spicy, concentrated and long. Impressive.
Drink 2021 - 2028
Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson.com (December 2019)
North-facing 300 metres in Vergisson, which makes the vineyard pretty fresh for Pouilly-Fuissé, this is one of the two best examples of the appellation I've had in 2018. Stylishly wooded, tangy and refined, with citrus and cinnamon flavours and engaging poise, this shows you what a great winemaker can do with top fruit from the Mâconnais.
Drink 2022 - 2028
Tim Atkin MW, Decanter.com (October 2018)
About this WINE
Heritiers du Comte Lafon
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon was established in 1999 when the famed Lafon family of Meursault purchased a small domaine in Milly-Lamartine.
Their enthusiasm for the project has grown ever since, as has the domaine: today it covers 26 hectares in the most prestigious appellations of the Mâconnais, all farmed biodynamically.
The estate is overseen by the energetic Caroline Gon, in close consultation with Dominique Lafon. The 2020 vintage sees the increased involvement of Dominique’s daughter Léa and nephew Pierre, both taking a keen interest in the Mâconnais project.
Caroline continues to run the estate on a day-to-day basis, putting Dominique’s vision into practice.
In the winery
Vinification and ageing continue to move towards larger oak formats, with increased use of foudres and demi-muids. The team recognise the profile of Mâcon wines as being more generous and fruitier than those of the Côte d’Or. So their aim is to retain as much freshness as possible, and not to impart too much oak character.
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.
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Description
This site, now mentioned on the label, is a north-facing slope in Vergisson. It is made partly in ex-Meursault barrels, partly demi-muid and partly in foudre, blended in July, given a few months on lees in tank but now bottled.
It shows a little more colour than the other cuvees but with a nervy note to the bouquet. It is very backwards on the palate, with white fruit, excellent tension, great acidity and a very fine, dense finish.
Jasper Morrisv MW, InsideBurgundy.com (November 2019)
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