Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Why we follow Domaine des Comtes Lafon

The estate

The Lafon story runs back to 1869 and to Jules Lafon's marriage into the Boch family in 1894. For much of the twentieth century, though, the vines were farmed by sharecroppers rather than by the family itself. Dominique Lafon took charge in 1985 and spent the next eight years reclaiming every parcel, the last of them returning from Pierre Morey in 1993. He converted to organics in 1995 and biodynamics in 1998. His daughter Léa and nephew Pierre now handle the day-to-day winemaking.

The vineyards

Sixteen hectares across Meursault, Volnay, Monthelie and Chassagne. The one grand cru is a third of a hectare of Le Montrachet, bought by Comte Jules just after the First World War. What makes the estate remarkable is its completeness in Meursault: it owns all six of the central premier crus, a set finished in 2011 when Lafon and Roulot jointly bought the former Domaine René Manuel and added Poruzots and Bouchères. Perrières, Charmes, Genevrières and Goutte d'Or make up the rest, and the two hectare Clos de la Barre monopole wraps around the cellar door. Volnay Santenots, Champans and Clos des Chênes supply the reds.

In the glass

Whites are whole-bunch pressed, settled, started in tank and finished in barrel, with new oak scaled from none at village level to around seventy per cent for the top premier crus and everything new for the Montrachet before racking to older wood. Élevage runs eighteen to twenty-one months. Diam closures have been used since 2013. Charmes has become noticeably tenser since the move to biodynamics. Perrières remains the mineral summit.

With Lamont’s

Offered through the Private Cellar Selection, generally following the June release. Register your interest and we will contact you when the next allocation is confirmed.

Allocations here are always tight — a handful of bottles across a small number of cuvées. Register your interest early and we will contact you when the next offer lands.