2024 Meursault Clos de la Barre, Domaine des Comtes Lafon

The Clos de la Barre is a 2.12ha monopole that is affectionately described by Pierre as the garden of the Lafon family home. There is a mix of planting dates here, from 2005 all the way back to the 1950s, providing a diversity that brings complexity in the wine. Despite its location on relatively flat ground, this is a stony site with just 50cm of soil on top of hard limestone mother rock. Interestingly, the grapes undergo a long hang time as flowering and budburst occur relatively early, but ripening is often late. Even from barrel, the nose is remarkably expressive, with ripe Amalfi lemon and freshly squeezed lime bursting out, supported by a subtle earthy reduction and a discreet framing of oak. This is a simply electric wine, built upon a tensile beam of freshness, dripping with confit lemon, spicy gunflint, dry chalk and pitch-perfect oak. A wine that should be considered one of Burgundy’s truly great cuvées.