Domaines des Comtes Lafon

History

This story begins not in a vineyard, but in a single building. In 1869, the Boch family built a house and a wine cellar in Clos de la Barre, Meursault, and the domaine still considers this date to be its founding year.

However, the person who truly built this domaine was Comte Jules Lafon, who married Marie Boch on St Vincent's Day in 1894. With an exceptional eye for land, he purchased vineyards in prime locations in Meursault and Volnay. In 1919, land in Le Montrachet was added, but the first vintage bottled by the domaine did not appear until 1935.

His sons Pierre and Henri inherited the estate, and later, in 1956, René, Pierre's son, took over the estate. For decades, the vineyards were managed by sharecroppers rather than cultivated directly by the family, which goes some way toward explaining the inconsistent quality of the wines. René Lafon, who lived from 1927 to 2019, retired after the 1982 harvest.

Since 1985, Dominique Lafon has served as the head of this domaine. He inherited a domaine already known for its white and red wines, which were excellent but lacked consistency and possessed clear potential, and spent the following decades refining the quality of both.

He also broadened his horizons beyond the boundaries of Meursault. In 1999, the family purchased a vineyard located in the Mâconnais area of Milly-Lamartine; the wines produced there are released under the Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon label. In Dominique, he further expanded the businesses he personally spearheaded, including a separate label produced at another facility and activities in Oregon.

Dominique Lafon officially retired in December, 2021, handing over management to his daughter, Léa, and his nephew, Pierre. The family tradition, continuing since Jules, endures to this day.

The vineyards

Comtes Lafon cultivates approximately 17 hectares of vineyards. While this is a small scale by most standards, nearly all of these vineyards are so well-known that they require no introduction.

More important than the total area is the location. The vineyard plots of this domaine are not only located within the top-tier vineyards of Meursault and Volnay, but most are situated in particularly exceptional sections within those vineyards. This distinction is revealed in a glass of wine far more often than one might expect.

Meursault's village wine is produced from the plots of Clos de la Barre and Désirée, which surround the estate. In the Premier Cru category, the domaine currently owns all six vineyards located in the central section: Perrière, Charmes, Genevrières, Gouttes Dor, Poruzots, and Bouchères. The last two vineyards were added in 2011 with the acquisition of the former Domaine René Manuel, an acquisition shared with Domaine Roulot.

At the very top of the white wine pyramid sits the cherished Le Montrachet vineyard, which spans just 0.32 hectares.

Red wines are produced from Volnay, and in addition to owning Premier Cru vineyards at Santenots-du-Milieu, Champans, Clos des Chênes, all of which are Premier Cru vineyards, as well as the Premier Cru vineyard Les Duresses, located in Monthélie.

Two grape varieties

There's nothing special here. It's just a proper application of Côte de Beaune arithmetic.

• Chardonnay: This accounts for the majority of production in this domain and covers everything from Clos de la Barre to Le Montrachet.
• Pinot Noir: Intended for bottling as Volnay and Monthélie, these are pure varieties with no other varieties mixed in at all.

Winemaking and Biodynamics

Comtes Lafon was one of the first wineries in the Meursault region to switch to biodynamic farming, a decision made in the 1990s. That decision had a greater impact on the character of the wine than any winemaking technique.

Dominique Lafon has always sought purity in its white wines, and Meursault Charmes is the clearest example of this. Once embodying the rich and opulent character of this vineyard, this wine has evolved into a cleaner, more refined style since the introduction of biodynamic farming.

His approach to white wine winemaking has sometimes drawn criticism, and the domaine also experienced issues with premature oxidation. The wines aged faster than normal.

One solution was the switch to DIAM stoppers starting with the 2013 vintage; these are technical cork stoppers designed to eliminate cork taint and provide a consistent flow of oxygen. This issue now appears to have been resolved.

The wines

First, I'll introduce the white wines, as they are the foundation of this winery's reputation. Meursault is a simple village wine; Clos de la Barre is produced from the vineyard next to the wine cellar; and Désirée is released as a separate wine. Meursault Perrières 1er Cru is the benchmark wine of the Premier Cru group, and the other five Central Premier Cru wines, Charmes, Genevrières, Gouttes d'Or, Poruzots, and Bouchères, stand shoulder to shoulder with it.

Le Montrachet is a Grand Cru produced in extremely limited quantities from a tiny plot of less than one hectare. It is a wine that everyone covets but almost no one gets to taste.

The red wines are also noteworthy. The Volnay Santenots du Milieu 1er Cru and Volnay Clos des Chênes are the most frequently mentioned, while the Champans and Monthélie Duresses round out the lineup.

Wines beyond Meursault and Volnay are produced at Milly-Lamartine, the Lafon family's Mâconnais estate, and are bottled under the label Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon. Meanwhile, Dominique Lafon has his own label, separate from the Domaine's wine cellar. Although the address is different, the surname is the same.