Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Meursault 1er Cru Porusots 2012

robert_parker94

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

The single-hectare of vines in the 2012 Meursault 1er Cru Porusots, which like Boucheres came with the Domaine Manuel purchase, has produced a wine with a vibrant, energetic bouquet armed with candied lemon peel, orange blossom and stony scents. The palate is well balanced with a fine line of acidity. This feels a little tauter on the finish that the other crus at the moment, pointed, angular and poised. I am a simmering ball of irritation sitting in Dominique Lafon's office watching the second hand chipping away at precious time. Where is he? Our rendezvous was 8.30am. Now it's past nine and I have to be at Rossignol-Trapet, essentially the other side of the world, at 10.15am. I should bolt out of the door. But I don't. I don't because this is Domaine des Comtes Lafon. They have what I call a "special pass of forgiveness" that is totally at my discretion and totally unfair. But that's just the way it is. He's probably stopped for a cigarette. Dominique Lafon appears just after 9:03am, suitably remorseful and the raffish rascal has so much charm that I have to resist playfully punching him on the arm and saying: "It was my fault for demanding such an early start." And so we immediately troop down to the cellars to taste the 2012s, starting with the reds that were depleted by one-third due to the multifarious obstacles mentioned all over this report. Dominique divulged that like everywhere else, there were tardy malo-lactic fermentations and that he had not racked the wines. At time of writing he doubts that he will do so. As for the whites, they were depleted by between one-third and one-half, in particular affecting Les Perrieres and Montrachet. Whereas usually Dominique has around 350 barrels in his care, in 2012 that number is around 170. Dominique gave me the minutiae of the harvest, which commenced on 14 September with the young vines in Clos de la Baronne and finished on 23 September in Monthelie and Montrachet. (Compare this to 2011 that began on 24 August and 2013 that began on the 25 September, two days after the 2012 was finished.) How were the wines? We don't have time. Let's bash on with the notes Importer: Becky Wassermann Selections (Le Serbet); www.leserbet.com (see website for full list of distributors) and also through Berry Brothers & Rudd (UK)

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Meursault 1er Cru Porusots from Domaine des Comtes-Lafon has a very succinct and subtle bouquet, beautifully defined, backwards and introspective but I think there is huge potential here. The palate is clean, fresh and poised, a hint of sour lemon on the entry but thereafter it becomes cohesive and focused with hints of white chocolate furnished the long, persistent finish. This is another excellent 2012 from Dominique Lafon.