Domaine des Comtes Lafon is based in Meursault, where it has holdings in each of the finest Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in Meursault. They have a reputation for maintaining the signature character of each site in their wines. They don’t rest on their laurels, though, their red wines from their Volnay Premiers Crus are increasingly popular and should not be overlooked.
The domaine was established in 1869 by the Boch family and has remained in their care ever since – only changing its name when Marie Boch married Comte Jules Lafon in ‘94. When fourth-generation Dominique Lafon took charge in 1985, Domaine des Comtes Lafon already had a reputation for unconventional yet outstanding white wines.
At the time, most of the vineyards were leased out to sharecroppers; but by ‘93 Dominique had reclaimed all of his family’s vineyards and assumed full control of the domaine. Not only are the Lafons’ 15 individual vineyards located in the best appellations in Meursault and Volnay, but they tend to be very well situated within them, and are now cultivated according to organic and biodynamic principles. In 2010, Jasper Morris wrote in his book ‘Inside Burgundy’, that their white wines were “now consistently among the best in Burgundy, while since 1989 the reds have reached the top division”.
In ‘99 the Lafon family branched out, buying a domaine in the Mâconnais at Milly-Lamartine and making wines under the name of ‘Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon’. More recently, Dominique Lafon has also established a small label of his own bearing his own name.
96 Points Vinous
The 2018 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru has a very classy bouquet with the most mineralité of all the Premier Crus, as you might expect. Very precise, it is more immediate than the Charmes, featuring crisp acidity and hints of ginger and fennel. Very harmonious yet powerful on the clinically precise finish. The manner in which this lingers in the mouth is entrancing. A killer Meursault deserving of long-term aging.
96 Points Allen Meadows
There is a touch of matchstick character on the more floral-scented nose of mineral reduction, acacia blossom and lemongrass that is trimmed in discreet oak. The medium-bodied flavors possess excellent drive and an abundance of sap on the clean, chiseled, bone-dry and tightly wound finale. This classy, focused and powerful effort is impeccably well-balanced and should age accordingly. *Don’t Miss!, Outstanding!*
95 Points Wine Advocate
Offering up aromas of citrus oil, white flowers, crisp green apple and freshly baked bread, the 2018 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières is medium to full-bodied, racy and incisive, with good depth, concentration and tension at the core, concluding with a long and precise finish. Tasted from barrel side by side with the 2017 Perrières from bottle, the 2018 isn’t as textural, and its bouquet doesn’t display the musky aromatic top notes that mark the 2017—but it promises to be every bit as compelling.