Under-The-Radar Cult Volnay
2012 Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Lafon's Santenots is one of the great wines of Volnay.
It nips at the heels of d'Angerville Ducs and Lafarge's Chenes.
My full initiation into the magic of Lafon's Santenots was a bottle of '78 a few years ago. It was a brilliant bottle. For a very select few, this is a cult bottling and there's a very good reason for that.
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I really don't think that Lafon's Santenots gets the respect that it's due. First, Lafon's whites get so much attention, especially his rare Montrachet. Second, the real impact and outrageous complexity of the wine is really only felt after some time in the cellar.
Santenots is a masculine expression of Volnay. Santenots is a richer site with clay soils and hard rock underneath. For all this texture and richness, the magic here is the transparency: Lafon's Santenots always has a just ridiculous clarity, as if both soil and stone were pulverized into the wine itself.
Lafon's 2012 Santenots is a shockingly distilled version of everything special about Santenots. It's tempting to explain just how site-expressive the 2012 Santenots is by mentioning the brutally low yields - 16hl/ha. Regardless, the 2012 delivers an enormous amount of what makes Santenots special. Antonio Galloni's note captures this really well: "the Santenots is deeply marked by the pure intensity and richness of the year but there is plenty of energy and structure"
This has the markings of an important vintage for this wine. I'm really happy to be able to offer the 2012 Santenots at such sharp pricing. Lafon's Santenots is one of the great, quiet values for elite level Volnay.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits