Heritiers Comte Lafon Macon Villages 2022
The Wine
Coming from two separate but adjacent biodynamically-farmed parcels, one in Uchizy and the other in Chardonnay (yes, that’s the village of Chardonnay) planted on chalk and clay, the cuvee was kept on its lees in old 53-hectoliter casks for eight months before it was bottled late this spring. ...The acidities were very precise and the structures far more classically bent than those of the more voluminous but less racy 2020s. The wine is typically tight upon release with lemon crème brulee, geranium and grape sugar on the nose and its full palate usually needs a good amount of air to fully express itself. I actually like to decant this wine when I drink it within the first few years of its life. With time, however, the nose loses its reticence and becomes much fuller, much more expressive on the palate. It’s clearly now a benchmark for the appellation- a wine you’ll find in most every winemaker in Macon’s own cellar. Everyone wants to know what Lafon is up to! Drink it young with oysters, clams or other seafood dishes, or wait a year or two and enjoy its richness alongside those seared scallops in tarragon butter! Prima Vini
Decanter.com – Charles Curtis MW 92 Points "The entry-level wine from Lafon’s Mâconnais operation offers spectacular value. The bottling includes grapes from Viré-Clessé, Uchizy, Viré, Chardonnay and Bussières, including grapes declassified from single-vineyard sites. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and fermented in large, upright wooden foudres before ageing for six months. Although the wine in 2022 did not have a lot of malic acid, it still has a lovely freshness and equilibrium".
The Details
Variety - Chardonnay
Country - France
Region - Burgundy
Sub Region - Macon
Extra - Screwcap
Year - 2022
Volume - 750ml
About the Wine Maker
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon was established in 1999 when the famed Lafon family of Meursault purchased a small domaine in Milly-Lamartine. Their enthusiasm for the project has grown ever since, as has the domaine: today it covers 26 hectares in the most prestigious appellations of the Mâconnais, all farmed biodynamically. The estate is overseen by the energetic Caroline Gon, in close consultation with Dominique Lafon. (From) The 2020 vintage sees the increased involvement of Dominique’s daughter Léa and nephew Pierre, both taking a keen interest in the Mâconnais project. Caroline continues to run the estate on a day-to-day basis, putting Dominique’s vision into practice. Vinification and ageing continue to move towards larger oak formats, with increased use of foudres and demi-muids. The team recognise the profile of Mâcon wines as being more generous and fruitier than those of the Côte d’Or. So their aim is to retain as much freshness as possible, and not to impart too much oak character. Berry Bros and Rudd – bbr.com