Domaine des Comtes Lafon is one of Burgundy’s most esteemed white wine estates, renowned for producing some of the finest Meursault. Founded in the 19th century and based in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, the domaine has been under the stewardship of Dominique Lafon since the 1980s, who has played a pivotal role in elevating its reputation. Dominique was a visionary in Burgundy, pioneering organic and biodynamic farming practices at a time when these methods were rare. His meticulous attention to the health of the vines and the soils has resulted in wines that showcase an extraordinary purity, precision, and depth, which are hallmarks of the estate. Today, Comtes Lafon is celebrated for its exquisite Meursault wines, particularly from revered parcels like Les Perrières, Les Genevrières, and Les Charmes, which are highly sought after for their elegance and age-worthiness. Unfortunately the price reflects the quality as so often in Burgundy.
The wines were tasted during the Robert Parker Wine Advocate “A Matter of Taste” event in Zurich/Switzerland and they showed spectacularly, everyone in the room loved them and asked Neal Martin who was hosting the session why he had given relatively low scores to them.
Tasting Notes
2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières, 93 Points
Light and fresh on the palate, very delicate, good minerality underneath but all in all a lacking a bit of punch for a higher score. The wine maker, Dominic Lafon praised this wine for its elegance and said it was one of his favorites. Could be, to me, it lacks a bit of stuffing.
2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre, 92 Points
Mineral and fresh on the palate, not as deep as the 1er Crus but nice drinkability and precision. Good but not great.
2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre, 91 Points
Here we have some tertiary aromas with nutty scents but also grass, spices and flowers. Again a nice Chard but not up there with the top 1er Crus of Lafon.
2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, 95 Points
A big stet up from Genevrieres and Clos de La Barre. Deeply mineral nose with some herbal elements, restraint and long. Very good Chard, if you are not a fan of the toasty style of Montrachet or Napa, come look here. Not as good as the outer worldly 2005 which I drank last night but a very convincing wine.
2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières, 97 Points
Another step up from the Charmes. Wow, now we’re talking. Complex mineral nose of all kinds of aromas around gun flint, dill, whit fruit and more. I love how this is restraint, fresh, aristocratic on the palate. Superb length. Given the minerality, I find these Lafon Mersaults the alter ego of the best Rieslings from Nahe. Most impressive, my kind of Chard.
2013 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu, 93 Points
I was highly apprehensive what the red wines could do after these outer-worldly whites. I was not disappointed. This was a Volnay of class and precision, despite the mediocre vintage. There was a good dose of minerality intermixed with red fruits and subtle sweet spices. A ballerina of a red, if you like your wine full bodied, hands off here as this is a subtle, even intellectual wine.
Autor: Christian Raubach, WSET III, FWS, WSG Champagne Master
February 2017