Dear *|FNAME|*,

The eagerly anticipated 2020 Chardonnays from Dominique Lafon’s Héritiers du Comte Lafon are here! ‘Mâconnais growers are producing better wines than ever and they should be celebrating long overdue recognition’, writes Neal Martin, calling the 2020 vintage a certain success.

Dominique Lafon, the master of Meursault, has played a major role in the resurgence of Mâcon. ‘When Dominique Lafon acquired his first vines in Mâcon, it was a significant gesture, a statement that the world should start taking this region more seriously,’ explains Neal Martin.

These wines continue to rival some of their Côte d’Or neighbours in quality, offering a ‘terrific and cost-effective alternative’  for Chardonnay from Burgundy. Start with the Mâcon Villages 2020 for only R375, or try the sought-after single-vineyards of Saint-Véran, Milly-Lamartine, Uchizy, and Clos de la Crochette.

Some producers started and concluded their harvests in August, making the 2020 harvest the earliest in memory. The drier conditions resulted in a concentration of both flavour and acidity, but with lower alcohols. Dominique Lafon agrees, saying that the tartaric backbone of the 2020s gives them great energy.

‘How can a vintage so extreme produce wines that are so vibrant and fresh?’  asks William Kelley of the Wine Advocate. Find out with a case or more of these impressive, biodynamic wines – view the full range here. Also up for grabs are the last few magnums of Comtes Lafon Meursault 2019!

Reply to this email or visit our website to place your order online.

Vinous regards,

Tasting notes

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Villages Blanc 2020

‘Very agreeable, ripe apple fruit, with a soft, approachable texture on the palate. This entry-level wine from Lafon’s Mâcon operation is blended from all of its parcels, including site in Uchizy, Viré, Chardonnay and Bussières. The fruit is gently pressed and fermented in large, upright oak casks and briefly aged before being bottled. It is the same work as the rest of the range - certified organic with biodynamic principles - but the volumes are larger here.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 91/100

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Saint-Véran 2020

‘This is a wine of impressive balance and length, produced from a number of parcels spread over nearly 2ha in Prissé and Davayé that ripen grapes early, yet the fruit has retained a lively acidity. Fermentation is done in a combination of large oak uprights and neutral demi-muids in order to maintain the purity of fruit, with alcohol kept at a modest (for the vintage) 12.5-13%.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 93/100

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon Milly-Lamartine 2020

‘The fruit is lemony and bright, and the richness is balanced by a lively acidity, although there is still impressive breadth and density on the palate. This is produced from a number of parcels that total almost 5ha, all exposed to the east between Bussières and Sologny. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in a combination of large oak foudres and neutral demi-muids, and thus receive no influence from new oak.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 93/100

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Uchizy Les Maranches 2020

‘The wine has a ripe apricot and quince nose, plus a rich, waxy texture that is supple, elegant and long. The grapes for this cuvée come from two parcels in the lieu-dit of Les Maranches located in the village of Uchizy and that total 2ha. The grapes are gently pressed and fermented in large oak foudres without any influence from new casks.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 93/100

Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon Clos De La Crochette 2020

‘The wine features ripe, almost tropical aromas and a lush, dense texture on the palate. The Clos de la Crochette boasts 2.6ha of south-facing slopes in stony clay soils. This early-ripening parcel was picked in August to keep the alcohol in check, and the grapes were gently pressed and fermented on native yeasts, in a combination of large foudres and demi-muids.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 92/100

Comtes Lafon Meursault 2019

‘This village Meursault is blended from older vines in villages-level lieux dits such as En La Barre and En Luraule, and younger fruit from premier crus including Charmes and Genevrières. The harvest is lightly crushed and run into cask where the wines are fermented and aged for at least 18 months to produce this wine of impeccable balance, with classic Meursault aromas of ripe apple, hazelnut and butter, within a firm texture enlivened with a gracious, lemony acidity. Textbook.’ – Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 94/100

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