Are these special wines? They certainly seem to sell at a premium price. What is the domaine style? I dont think ive ever seen them discussed here.
I was told that Lafon is one of the best/sought after producers in Burgundy; also that their Meursault, although expensive, are brilliant. Here’s a link that you can read more info on: Domaine Profile: Domaine des COMTES LAFON | Jockovino
From the site: Wine Writer Clive Coates, has written: “The Domaine des Comtes Lafon is in my view the world’s greatest white wine domaine.”
I’m sure many white burg enthusiasts here can provide you with personal experiences.
Lafon can be amazingly good whites. The ones I’ve had are richer and racier than most other whites - they’re certainly among the best in Burgundy and, depending on tastes, are probably the best Meursault made. Years ago I was at a 14 vintage vertical of the Perrieres which was mind blowing. The Clos de la Barre is very good, but doesn’t really pull away from other good whites and the Volnay Santenots isn’t special IMO. It’s good but I’d much rather spend money on d’Angerville or Lafarge in Volnay.
Are they better, overall, than Leflaive or Ramonet? No, but they’re up there.
Thanks. I just remembered I tasted these wines at the last SF La Paulee. I liked them alot. I don’t remember trying the reds though.
The wines are really good, definitely among the top domaines in Burgundy. In the early to mid '90s, they were made in a more opulant style, which some really loved although not always my favorites. I think he did more batonnage then. From at least '99 on, they have been made in a purer style, although still richer than say Roulot.
I don’t buy them often because of the prices and there are lots of other producers who made serious Meursault for less.
Oh, but he does make really nice, affordable Macconais wines.
Cheers,
-Robert
I was just about to post that. An intro to the style and really enjoyable wines. Great to find on restaurant lists too as they hit a sweet spot which will please non-geek and jaded palate alike.
A.
yep - the clos de la crochette is a buy every vintage. great juice for the money.
+1 The Macons from Lafon from recent vintages have been terrific.
I also really like the Meursaults and the Volnay. A top domaine
Great producer, brilliant Montrachet and Perrieres and some very smart village level Meursault. As mentioned the wines aren’t quite as fat and opulent as they once were but are certainly some of the very best whites of Meursault along with Roulot and Coche IMNSHO. The reds are also very good, his Volnay ‘Santenots’ is a wine that needs a ton of time in the cellar but is quite special. For a value red Burg that will age his Monthelie ‘Les Durreses’ is a very good buy. The Macon wines have been a source of house wine Chez Holmes over the past few years, particularly the 07 and 08 ‘Clos du Four’. In fact when you look at it, Lafon is probably close to the best all round Domaine in Burgundy.
Just held my very first bottle of Lafon Montrachet and I…
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Between '99-'02 in particular - lots of premox problems…have had in the past both premoxed '01 and '02 Montrachet’s (and good bottles also, which weren’t thrilling)…and the wines through the mid '90’s aren’t that great either…
Wines have had a big rep. which hasn’t always been borne out (IMHO, with a lot of that more about their earlier wines), but they can still be pretty good, although not worth the $$$ at the top end (again, IMHO), but are pretty good at the lower ends…
well, the Meursault Perrieres is usually killer, and the other Meursault don’t suck either. I happen to love the Volnays…and the style has become more restrained into the 2000s. Dominique of course has a passion for Oregon and Oregon Pinot too. He is the consultant at Evening Land in Oregon and is helping this project achieve terrific results too.
All this said, I think there are better values in Volnay (and Meursault) but that doesn’t mean I enjoy his wines any less.
Dominique also seems omnipresent: he is quite available for tastings in Burgundy, attends La Paulee in the US, and regularly visits Oregon for the IPNC and related dinners, events. Quite the ambassador.
Doug
On his reds, a mistake I’ve made when drinking his reds was comparing them to the Volnays I love. I love Volnay, I really enjoy his whites, so I thought home run. But Santenots (which is is really red Meursault not Volnay, despite the Volnay label) and Chenes can be bigger and richer than my favorite Volnays. Less precise and minerally than Ducs, Caillerets or Taillepieds, which I hold up as great Volnay vineyards. I always thought I was a Chenes fan because of Lafarge, but it made much more sense when Claude Kolm once made the point that Lafarge’s plot of Chenes is in a corner that’s practically Taillepieds. So even if you compare Lafon and Lafarge Chenes, they’re very different wines.
Cheers,
-Robert
Hi Berry:
Whites: Pungently powerful, rich and impressive in the 1990s and first years of the 2000s…
Latest vintages a clarion of zen-like focus, clarity and minerality - to my palate perhaps the best whites made anywhere in 09
Chalk and cheese - the style has move towards me.
Reds: Same description but perhaps dropping the ‘pungent’. Generally impact over complexity and length - that has also changed to intensity and minerality, more length but with less punch. Again - the style has moved towards me…
In both cases I wouldn’t have paid the premium for the ‘old-style’. Today, I sometimes do.
With Lafon, it is crucial to separate the eras. At one time they made highly-stylized wines, a la Coche (though different) that seemed pretty advanced when young. Dominque has evolved and changed the style there at least a couple of times. The reds were more of curiosity, rather than special wines, at one point.
I have no experience beyond the '90s…and have no current info, though.
I was just about to say this.
Starting in 2007, he started picking quite a bit earlier, and he is in love with his 09 Whites b/c of this. Let it be known though that this is his family’s domaine, and he is the winemaker there, but there is a brand out there with his name on it, but is some how connected to the Evening Land wines (I have no data to support this connection other that what I have been told, but it’s HIS wine and HIS name on the wine.)
I’ve always found his reds a bit lacking, never really been wowed, although he makes an interesting wine; Monthelie Les Duresses Rouge (1er Cru too), that is quite good and I’ve bought 10 year old wine under $50 US recently. His Volnays seemingly need forever (but had 18+ year old wines from him, and still not been wowed.)
Well, wowed would be too strong, and I like others almost invariably head to Angerville and Lafarge in Volnay, but I recently had Lafon’s 1993 Clos de Chênes and thought it was lovely after it had a chance to stretch out.
I once again in agreement with Paul and others. The 92s which once were great are now fading really quickly. A lot of premox wines so one of the domaines I no longer buy. Big, rich and ripe style of wine although it appears to be changing according to the earlier post.
I am with Paul and Kevin here.
Please count me in as one of the demaines which I no longer buy for 2 main reasons : (1) they are too pricey for what they are; and (2) I could get the same wines more to my preferred taste with Bouchard and at half of the price.