Wine Advisor
Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Volnay 1er Cru Champans 2009
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Lafon’s 2009 Volnay Champans presents a wiry, taut personality. Intense minerality frames a core of dark red fruit, flowers and sweet baking spices. The Champans possesses gorgeous energy and vibrancy. It is a beautifully balanced, harmonious 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. I arrived at Lafon just as the last of the 2009s were being bottled. Dominique Lafon describes the 2009 harvest as a generous one, which I am sure he was quite happy about given 2008. The approach at Lafon can be best described as gentle. The wines are mostly made from 100% destemmed fruit (the 2009 Monthelie is an exception, with 25% whole clusters). The fruit undergoes a cold soak of 4-5 days followed by a maceration of three weeks on the skins. After pressing the wines are left in steel for two weeks to encourage natural decantation, and are then racked into barrel with the fine lees. New oak is about 25% for the Monthelie, 33% for the Volnay and Clos des Chenes, and slightly more for the Champans and Santenots. Vintage 2008 was not an easy one for Dominique Lafon. In Volnay, the cold spring and ensuing irregular flowering lowered yields by a third, until hail in July took care of another third. Lafon said these were the lowest yields he had ever seen in his career. The remaining fruit, though, was quite pretty, as these sublime 2008s amply demonstrate. Lafon may be best known for his whites, but readers should pay just as much attention to these superb reds. Readers can find notes on Lafon’s 2009s, which I tasted from barrel, on www.erobertparker.com. Importers: Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA, tel. (781) 352 1100; Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040; A Daniel Johnnes Selection imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY, tel. (516) 677 9300
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted from new barrel: crisp dark cherry and raspberry on the nose. Nicely balance, feminine with a velvety smooth finish. Well integrated towards the finish, focused and lithe. Tasted January 2011.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Volnay Champans blossoms in every direction with black cherries, tar, smoke licorice and crushed rocks. This deep, resonant wine graced with tons of depth and gorgeous textural richness captures the best qualities of 2009. Anticipated maturity: 2019-2029. Importers: Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA, tel. (781) 352 1100; Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA, tel. (510) 559 1040; A Daniel Johnnes Selection imported by Michael Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY, tel. (516) 677 9300
About the Producer
Domaine des Comtes Lafon is a renowned wine estate located in the Mâconnais region of Burgundy, France. The domain has been in the Lafon family's possession since the late 19th century, with Dominique Lafon leading the estate's operations since the 1980s. Domaine des Comtes Lafon is particularly renowned for its exceptional Chardonnay wines, which are produced from the domain's esteemed vineyards in Meursault, Volnay, and Monthélie. The estate's winemaking approach emphasizes minimal intervention, allowing the terroir to shine through in the wines. Domaine des Comtes Lafon is recognized as one of the top producers in the Mâconnais, known for its focus on quality, elegance, and minerality.
