From: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Taste & Critical Acclaim: "The 2021 Bourgogne Blanc comes from Meursault and Puligny, half aged in puncheons and half in used barrels. Clean and fresh with Granny Smiths on the nose, this has good vigour. The palate is well balanced with decent acidity and plenty of extract with a twist of sour lemon perking up the finish. Fine." Neal Martin, Vinous
Pairing: You’ve got lots of options when pairing this delicious wine. Fresh and Alpine cheeses and nuts, roasted poultry (including leftovers in baguette or as sandwiches), roasted winter squash as a gratin or a side, pan-roasted fish, and pasta or risotto with or without cream.
Roasted Chicken Thighs With Lemon, Thyme and Rosemary
Recipe from Nancy Silverton and Carolynn Carreño
Adapted by Florence Fabricant
About. Dominique Lafon needs no introduction to lovers of fine Burgundy. Having started his career working for a well-known pioneering agent in Beaune back in the very early 1980s he then proceeded to take over his family estate, Domaine des Comtes Lafon in 1984. In 1987 he began the project of taking back all of the estate’s vineyards that were being farmed by métayers or sharecroppers. Within a few short years, his wines were some of the most prized in Burgundy and the rest is history. In 2008 he started his own label made up of vineyards, both owned and rented, in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet & Beaune. He prefers the tension and mineral qualities of grapes from upper hillside slopes and his wines reflect this preference. All vineyards are farmed biodynamically by the Comtes Lafon team and Dominique does most of the cellar work himself. This is a labor of love and a return to his roots, when he was just one of a small team of workers on the family estate. Though legally a négociant, this is only because he makes his wine at the Château de Bligny-Lès-Beaune, a custom crush operation that he runs with a friend. He controls all of the farming.
This wine. Made from two separate parcels owned by Dominique - "Les Grandes Coutures" lieu-dit in Meursault and "Les Femelottes" in Puligny-Montrachet, with vines up to 50 years old. Whole cluster pressing is used and racked into older barrels for one year. Very light fining and filtration is used.
Dominique Lafon started his own label - separate from the family domaine - in 2008 and currently works approximately 4.5 hectares in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay, and Beaune. Legally, he is considered a négociant but this is only because Dominique shares space with another winemaker. (Think of it as a custom crush facility, but in Burgundy. Arguably one of the best values in white Burgundy.