Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2017

vinous95

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The 2017 Meursault Charmes 1er Cru has a precise, focused bouquet, quite mineral-driven and strict but compelling, with grilled walnut and smoke scents developing. The palate has quite a bitter-edged entry. One of the most tensile Les Charmes that you will find, this is vibrant and quite spicy toward a finish that lingers in the mouth. Another classy, sophisticated and intense Meursault Charmes. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune.

vinous94

Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer

(Lafon actually had a full crop in 2016, producing 33 barrels, but the nascent buds of the younger vines here were eaten by caterpillars in 2017, reducing production to just 18 barrels): Alluring aromas of peach, lemon, crushed stone and acacia flower. Highly concentrated, youthfully tight wine with a firm spine of salty minerality. Finishes savory, brisk and long, with lovely citrus energy and nutty complexity. Seriously structured young Charmes with noteworthy finesse. Lafon describes it as more Bâtard than Perrières . Lafon's large holding in Charmes (1.9 hectares, of which 1.5 are in production) includes three distinct vine ages: 25, 47 and 90 years old.

robert_parker95

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The 2017 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes confirms its brilliant showing from barrel, offering up a lovely bouquet of fresh pear, mandarin, buttered apples, white flowers and fresh pastry, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and multidimensional palate that's muscular, structured and concentrated, with fine cut and a long, chalky finish. As is quite often the case, I have a preference for this Charmes over Lafon's Perrières this year, though it will be interesting to put that contention to the test a decade from now.