Comtes Lafon
Domaine des Comtes Lafon began in 1869 with vines in some of the best plots in Mersualt, Volnay and Le Montrachet. This family estate has been run by Dominique Lafon since 1985. He ended share cropping, key to their surging quality, with some of the best white and great red wine. Their cellars are the deepest in Burgundy.
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Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (89-92)
Musky aromas of lemon, lime and hazelnut. At once sweet and powerful, with strong peachy fruit given cut by brisk acidity. Finishes with an impression of almost metallic minerality. This should be a very penetrating wine. Perhaps a bit phenolic today: this wine got a lot of batonnage until Christmas, noted Lafon. (My sample did not include the oldest vines in this parcel, which had just started their malolactic fermentation.)$4,170.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
From a tank sample taken just prior to the fining: Bright, pale yellow-green. Grapefruit and lemon ice on the nose, plus a whiff of white truffle. Edgy lemony acidity gives shape to the palate and carries the finish. A second sample, taken after the fining: Bright pale yellow. Subtly perfumed nose hints at lemon ice. Juicy and pure but a bit sharper than the first sample, showing excellent precision to the lemon zest flavors. A very site-driven sample that finishes with a salty nuance and noteworthy cut and length. I like what the fining has accomplished.$3,890.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
From a tank sample taken just prior to the fining: Bright, pale yellow-green. Grapefruit and lemon ice on the nose, plus a whiff of white truffle. Edgy lemony acidity gives shape to the palate and carries the finish. A second sample, taken after the fining: Bright pale yellow. Subtly perfumed nose hints at lemon ice. Juicy and pure but a bit sharper than the first sample, showing excellent precision to the lemon zest flavors. A very site-driven sample that finishes with a salty nuance and noteworthy cut and length. I like what the fining has accomplished.$352.00 -
(12x75cl) 2012Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (90-93)
Bright green-yellow. Aromas of orange oil and botanical herbs, plus a sexy leesy nuance. Rich, tactile and dry, with a distinctly chewy quality to the oily white peach and wild herb flavors. Finishes dense and long, with noteworthy energy and lift. Lafon told me that he did not stir the lees of his 2012s, with the exception of the village wine.$3,415.00 -
(12x75cl) 2014Vinous (92-93)
(tasted from tank): Musky lime blossom on the nose. Tactile and extract-rich, displaying very good cut and energy to its flavors of lime and flowers. In a distinctly juicier style than the Désirée, thanks to good acid thrust. Refreshingly bracing on the aftertaste.$3,275.00 -
Vinous (92-93)
(tasted from tank): Musky lime blossom on the nose. Tactile and extract-rich, displaying very good cut and energy to its flavors of lime and flowers. In a distinctly juicier style than the Désirée, thanks to good acid thrust. Refreshingly bracing on the aftertaste.$376.00 -
(12x75cl) 2015Vinous - Neal Martin (93)
The 2015 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre 1er Cru from Domaine des Comtes Lafon is fresh and lively with cockle shed and oyster shell scents, beautifully knit together with real panache. The palate has a squeeze of sour lemon on the entry and a deft touch of reduction on the finish. This is drinking wonderfully right now. Tasted at the 05/15 Burgundy dinner in The Good Earth.$3,860.00 -
(12x75cl) 2017Vinous (91-93)
(Lafon made 50 barrels, which he described as a full crop): Pretty aromas of apricot, peach and flowers are complicated by a seductive leesy quality. Wonderfully silky on the palate, offering a superb balance of fruit and acidity. Relatively sweet in the context of these '17s, but Lafon insisted that the wine has barely one gram per liter of residual sugar, while most of his other '17s are closer to half a gram--i.e., bone dry. Finishes with excellent length.$2,884.00 -
Vinous (92-94)
The 2018 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a reserved and quite austere bouquet at the moment, which surprising considering the growing season. This is a stubborn Meursault. The palate is well balanced with fine acidity and quite saline in the mouth, with a touch of orange peel on the sharp, racy finish. Excellent.$3,585.00 -
Vinous (90-92)
The 2019 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a taut nose like the Désirée. Perfumed white flower scents intermingle with yellow plum and citrus peel – very pretty. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and there is plenty of energy here. A twist of sour lemon lends tension toward the finish, and a touch of ginger pops up on the aftertaste. Excellent.$3,355.00 -
(12x75cl) 2019Vinous (90-92)
The 2019 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a taut nose like the Désirée. Perfumed white flower scents intermingle with yellow plum and citrus peel – very pretty. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and there is plenty of energy here. A twist of sour lemon lends tension toward the finish, and a touch of ginger pops up on the aftertaste. Excellent.$3,775.00 -
Vinous (90-92)
The 2019 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a taut nose like the Désirée. Perfumed white flower scents intermingle with yellow plum and citrus peel – very pretty. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity and there is plenty of energy here. A twist of sour lemon lends tension toward the finish, and a touch of ginger pops up on the aftertaste. Excellent.$759.00 -
Vinous (91-93)
The 2020 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a clean, quite precise bouquet that is a step up from the Village, traces of grilled almond and hazelnut. The palate is underpinned by a fine line of acidity, more mineralité and tension with a saline, slightly Puligny-like finish. One of those less-is-more Meursaults. Bottled under Diam 30. Closure: Diam 30$312.00 -
(2x75cl) 2020Vinous (91-93)
The 2020 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a clean, quite precise bouquet that is a step up from the Village, traces of grilled almond and hazelnut. The palate is underpinned by a fine line of acidity, more mineralité and tension with a saline, slightly Puligny-like finish. One of those less-is-more Meursaults. Bottled under Diam 30. Closure: Diam 30$761.00 -
(3x75cl) 2020Vinous (91-93)
The 2020 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre has a clean, quite precise bouquet that is a step up from the Village, traces of grilled almond and hazelnut. The palate is underpinned by a fine line of acidity, more mineralité and tension with a saline, slightly Puligny-like finish. One of those less-is-more Meursaults. Bottled under Diam 30. Closure: Diam 30$1,092.98 -
Vinous (90-92)
The 2021 Meursault Clos-de-la-Barre sports a clever reduction on the nose, with orange blossom, pithy pear and a subtle crushed stone note in the background. The palate is well balanced with candied orange peel and light quince notes; a little spice and touches of barley sugar and lime cordial appear towards the satisfying finish. This will surely be difficult to resist!$284.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (92-94)
Fine pale lemon colour. The bouquet offers precision in a mineral style of Meursault, but not massively demonstrative. Lemon infused minerals almost to the point of being severe, but there is clearly a significant volume of fruit still to emerge. I can see the Clos de la Barre growing in stature from here.$2,965.00 -
Vinous (88)
The 2017 Monthélie Les Duresses was in barrel until October and then racked into tank as Lafon felt it was ready. It has a delightful bouquet of red cherries and crushed strawberry fruit, plus a little sous-bois. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly rustic tannins, but delivers pretty, earthy fruit and a light-hearted finish full of joie-de-vivre.$844.00 -
(12x75cl) 2018Vinous (89)
The 2018 Monthélie Les Duresses has a tightly wound bouquet, the fruit a little darker than I find on the nascent 2019, yet still well defined. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red berry fruit, quite compact and saline. A touch of black pepper enlivens the slightly broody finish. Cellar this for 2–3 years.$888.00 -
Vinous (88-90)
The 2019 Monthélie Les Duresses offers crisp raspberry and red cherry scents on the nose, which is well defined and floral in style. The palate is fresh on the entry, and quite fleshy for a Monthélie, with a brisk, uncomplicated finish. Fine.$862.00 -
Vinous (86-88)
The 2021 Monthélie Les Duresses, the only cuvée with a normal yield, sports a touch of reduction on the nose, red cherries and cranberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins; this is quite a "stocky" Monthélie with dark berry fruit on the finish. Fine.$99.00 -
(12x75cl) 2022$1,065.00 -
$134.00 -
$1,670.00 -
(1x75cl) 2004Vinous - Stephen Tanzer (93-96)
Exotic aromas of pineapple, orange zest, iodine and menthol. Then wonderfully fat and nectar-like, with rare depth of fruit for the vintage. Boasts great richness without any heaviness. Really expands in the mouth and goes on and on on the very long, dry finish. Among the strongest 2004 samples I tasted on my most recent trip.$3,910.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting, the 2014 Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine des Comtes Lafon has a clean and fresh bouquet, perhaps just a bit too much lime for my liking, although there is mineralité tucked in just behind. The palate is fresh and saline on the entry with a superb line of acidity. There is weight and presence to this Montrachet, and it gains weight and delivers a knockout, extremely persistent finish tinged with lemon thyme and sherbet. Though a little disjointed at present, I suspect this will turn into a wonderful Montrachet with style and class. But be warned that it will require several years in bottle.$4,735.00 -
Wine Advocate (96-98)
The 2017 Montrachet Grand Cru is a classic in the making, wafting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, citrus blossom, green apple, mandarin and beeswax, subtly framed by new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, beautifully complete and multidimensional, with a broad, satiny attack, a deep, layered mid-palate and a pure, penetrating finish. Youthfully reserved today, its almost understated elegance conceals impressive reserved of structure and extract.$3,305.00 -
Jancis Robinson (19)
Tank sample. Mid lemon. Huge weight, breadth and depth. Spice and real volume and intensity of flavour. Forceful and immediately imposing simply by the size of its style. Tremendous white wine. Honed, dense and focused. (MH)$3,275.00 -
$1,250.00 -
(1x75cl) 2012Vinous (92-94)
Sweet red berries, crushed flowers and spices are all woven together in the 2012 Volnay Champans. I am not sure I have ever tasted a Champans with this much texture and depth at Lafon. Sweet, silky tannins round out the supple, totally engaging finish. The 2012 is very, very pretty.$146.00
