In order to establish the date of birth of the Domaine des Comtes Lafon it is necessary to go back, to 22 January 1894, when an administrative accountant of the south-west of France, Jules Joseph Barthélémy Lafon, married the daughter of a family of Meursault wine merchants, Marie Bloch. Marie inherited some vineyards in that area of the Côte de Beaune, while Jules was engaged in his career as a state administrator, culminating in the 1920s with his election as mayor of Meursault. Finally, in 1931, Jules decided to abandon his institutional duties to devote himself to his own vineyards, increased with to the acquisition of other parcels in Meursault, Montrachet, and Volnay.
After Jules’ death it was opened the practice of hereditary succession, which were not particularly lucky, with the heirs who disinterested in wine production, selling many lands owned, and arriving at the hypothesis of getting rid of the entire Domaine. It was not until 1956 that a real rebirth could be witnessed thanks to the work of René Lafon who, after leaving Paris, devoted his body and soul to the revival of the winery and to the replanting of most of the vineyards. He was succeeded by Dominique Lafon who, from 1984 to the present day, has expanded the Domaine to reach 16.3 hectares of current property.
Despite the undeniable link between Comtes Lafon and the great white wines of Meursault, the winery also produces some Pinot Noir wines in the surrounding areas, such as in the case of Volnay 1er Cru Santenots du Milieu. The climat of origin is composed of the most prestigious part of the great Les Santenots (which includes lower the Cru Dessous and higher the Blancs), on the border between the appellation of Volnay and that of Meursault. The owned land, purchased a small plot at a time (at the beginning of 1900), extends for 3 hectares and 78 are, and is planted with vines between 30 and 60 years of age, exposed to the east, on the characteristic clay red soils from hard limestone subsoil, at a gradient between 5 and 10%. Once manually harvested, the grapes are left to macerate for about 2-3 weeks, in whole clusters, before the delicate crushing and spontaneous fermentation, by means of indigenous yeasts. The obtained wine is poured into pieces of various passage, by gravitational force, and here it refines, also carrying out malolactic fermentation, for almost two years, before bottling and marketing.
The 2010 vintage shows a still lively and vibrant ruby color, with an olfactory fan that opens on notes of Ravenna cherry, black cherry grenadine, red currant, and cinchona green branch, followed by red orange, blond tobacco, vinyl and incense, with conclusive empyreumatic and bloodyc/ferrous echoes. The palate, agile and fresh, does not forego a hint of softness, which contributes to the tasty tactile balance, and to a truly elegant tannins, which marks its progression; all enriched by the return of fresh red fruit and bloody/ferrous notes that persist until a very long closure.
Rating: 92/100
Want to find out what I can do for you? Click here!
