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Twelve Vintages of Lafon Montrachet
Tasted October 6, 2023 by BradE with 104 views
Introduction
We had an exceptional dinner Friday, which I organized to taste through and contrast the recent decade of Lafon Montrachet. We added 2000 and 2005 to make it an even dozen.
I'm an unabashed fan of all things Lafon, and own and buy their whites across vintages and across the lineup. And over the last ten to fifteen years this impressive lineup has continued to improve, going from one level of greatness to another. At the top of that mountain is the sublime Lafon Montrachet. Lafon Montrachet is my favorite wine, and thus this dinner was truly 100 points.
Flight 1 (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1988 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
A stunning mag of Krug, that was perfect in every respect. Literally perfect. Served pre and post a five hour dinner and if anything improved during that time.
Flight 2 (4 notes)
White
2000 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
The first bottle of our twelve vintages of Lafon Montrachet. Very, very good and amazingly fresh. No oxidation, its development was age appropriate. Good provenance bottles of this vintage will likely be ageless.
White
2005 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
Slightly advanced, but not in a premox sense. A good wine, but not a vintage that reflects the markets initial optimism of fifteen years ago.
White
2010 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
Utterly perfect and a complete wine. Like tonight's mag of 88 Krug, it's hard to imagine how this could be more impressive.
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Comment
White
2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
A fantastic bottle, with excellent structure and balance. Fun having it next to the sublime 2010, and it fully held its own. A class act.
Flight 3 (4 notes)
White
2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
Like many 2012's, this was delicious. Not mind-blowing like some of the vintages tonight, and less sophisticated.
White
2013 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
Very good, and standalone would have garnered accolades. But in a group of Lafon Montrachet, this was "only good".
White
2014 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
This vintage is consistently sublime, and tonight's bottle was no exception. It explodes on the palate. Fantastic now, with an endless life ahead of it. My #2 of the night.
White
2015 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
I thought this was fantastic, and a much better bottle than one six months ago. I'm a huge fan of 2015 whites, and tonight's bottle no exception. Lot's of oak and matchstick that some couldn't fully look past.
Flight 4 (4 notes)
White
2016 L’Exceptionnelle Vendange des 7 Domaines’ Montrachet
What a treat to include this in our dinner. Due to hail in 2016, seven owners combined their harvest to produce two barrels of Montrachet. The nose of the night, and this bottle was brilliant. I like (vs. love) 2016 whites in general, but this outperformed the vintage, was intoxicating, and kept drawing me back.
White
2017 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
As expected, this was fantastic. I've said it before, but it's hard to overstate how great this vintage of Lafon Montrachet is and will be. With age and maturity, let's hope it's as complete as the 2010.
White
2018 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
I'm a huge fan of the 2018 Lafon Montrachet, and this was a great bottle. Flighted with the 2016, 2017, and 2019 it held its own. I sense burgundy collectors (particularly in the US) underestimate this vintage across the board.
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Comments (1)
White
2019 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Montrachet
A fantastic bottle. We've had this three times this year, and it consistently impresses the table. A great vintage.
Flight 5 (0 notes)
Note's on our menu and the reds will follow tomorrow.
DRC La Tache 1993, 2009, 2010.
Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze 1999, 2001, 2002.