2024 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâcon-Milly-Martine Blanc, White Burgundy, Mâcon-Villages, France.
The latest Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Martine Blanc, a pure 100% Mâconnais Chardonnay, is a wonderful and mineral driven white Burgundy with loads of charm and terroir driven personality, showing off lime blossoms, tart lemon, apple, Asian pear and crisp white peach fruits, as well as delicate reductive hazelnut, flinty/matchstick, clove spice, subtle custard and wet stones. Everything is done with precision here and a lip smacking salinity and acidity, from the chalky soils, but opens up nicely with a rewarding vinous textural feel, which hints at creaminess without weight, making it super balanced and lovely with a range of cuisine choices. As a longtime fan of Dominique Lafon’s Mâconnais project, see below, it was great again to try this release and see that the quality is as it has been, which is high, and still very good value. The winemaking here is all about attention to detail, using only the best grapes possible, indigenous yeasts and gentle winemaking practices employed by Lafon and his team. This label strives to preserve the fruit and minerality of the region by using only larger, neutral wood, typically 350L casks, for the aging of the wines, which are fermented in separate parcels and treated like Cru bottlings. As noted by Lafon’s importer Beaune Imports, the Chardonnays are allowed to go through malolactic fermentation and barrel aging, and ss such, they have not only elevated the standing of Mâcon region, but have also given Burgundy lovers a terrific and cost-effective alternative to the Chardonnays of the more prestigious Côte de Beaune.
Founded by Meursault legend, Dominique Lafon, in 1999, the Mâconnais based Héritiers du Comte Lafon, as mentioned in my prior reviews, is an all organic and biodynamic estate that crafts exceptional biodynamically grown Chardonnay from this lesser appreciated region where he found treasured old vine parcels and excellent terroirs. The wines are now, since 2006, made by the hugely talented Caroline Gon, who was Lafon’s apprentice for many years, so there is an amazing chemistry and clearly a linage of quality. Lafon, one of best known Cote de Beaune winemakers, was one of the first to see the potential of the Mâconnais for its hidden magic and his success has brought on a wave of Cote d’Or producers to the region, looking for a less expensive place to source premium Chardonnay grapes, and now Saint-Veran, Vire-Clesse and all the various sub zones of Mâcon are all the rage. Historically, the Mâconnais was known for industrially farmed, volume driven wines usually just labeled Mâcon-Villages, sort of generic and sadly un-inspiring, but now thrilling wines are being handcrafted here, like those of Robert-Denogent, Domaine de la Sarazinière and Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon are as highly regarded as the more famous Beaune addresses! As mentioned repeatedly in my many prior reviews, if you want a truly fabulous White Burgundy at a fair price, especially considering the pedigree here, this is a label to invest in and or search out. I am in particular, an admirer of this Mâcon-Milly-Martine village wine, where the winery is located, and made up of mostly hillside grapes, and this vintage shows just the right amount of depth and richness, while having a satisfying tension, aromatics and a fabulous steely, plus an almost Chablis meets Chassagne-Montrachet steely quality.
($39 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive