Meursault Master:
Intensity, Rigor & Finesse
2011 Lafon Meursault
"There is good energy and fine delineation ... Lovely and fashioned in an understated style." -Burghound
The greats of Meursault form a holy trinity: Lafon, Roulot and Coche.
Out of the three, the ridiculous quality that Lafon has been turning out in the last five vintages is something that deserves much greater attention.
Today, we're trying to do our share. Every time I've tasted a recent vintage of Lafon, I've been blown away. The wines seem to have simultaneously taken clarity, rigor and intensity to a whole new level.
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| Dominique Lafon | photo by Rajat Parr |
When I tasted the 2011 Meursault, all of this became brutally clear. The wine was just gorgeous and at the village level had very few peers. (Think of the names mentioned above.)
Lafon's village level wines have always been hard to get your hands on, but in recent years this has gotten really ugly. The growing murmurs about the already high level of quality being ratcheted up in a big way has really fanned the fire. Top restaurants and the savviest of collectors have dedicated a lot of energy to grabbing the bottles before they see the light of day.
Ever since tasting the 2011 Meursault, I've made it a point to secure enough for an offer. The wine was that good. The saturating length combined with the verve and precision is just stunning.
This is yet another reminder of just how good the 2011 vintage is shaping up for whites. The vintage started off seeming very, very good and every day seems to get closer to greatness. The richness and palate presence combined with mineral precision is really impressive.
The 2011 marks the first vintage where grapes from Clos de la Baronne, including a healthy dose of 40-year-old vines, were added to fruit from En la Barre and a couple other lieux-dits. The acquisition of the vines in Clos de la Baronne was the result of splitting what was formerly Domaine Manuel with Jean-Marc Roulot.
I'm going to keep this short. Everyone knows what Lafon brings to the table. The only thing that I'll add is that I, too, was very aware and I was still impressed by this wine. It's really worth checking out.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits