Meursault Charmes, Domaine des Comtes Lafon 2022

A distinctly restrained nose only grudgingly reveals its combination of cool, pure and airy aromas of white orchard fruit, toasted nut/brown butter, crushed anise and a similar array of floral top notes. The bigger and richer, if less refined, medium-bodied flavors exude a more subtle minerality on the superbly long and even more complex finale that is also just a bit more tightly wound. This is terrific and I especially like the interplay of the fruit/acid/stone elements. A classic Lafon Charmes. (Drink starting 2034)

Clear pale lemon. This is at the moment less expressive than the Genevrières, Classical Charmes in the mouth with the energy that this vineyard has had chez Lafon since turning biodynamic. Perhaps a little less weight at the very back so Genevrières does just get the nod.

This appealing, approachable premier cru boasts a ripe apple fruit with notes of marzipan, butter and smoke. The texture is creamy and dense, and the finish is voluptuously long. Lafon says the acidity was slightly lower than in 2020, yet the wine does not seem heavy. It is produced from 1.7 hectares of vines, mainly in Charmes Dessus, including some vines planted a century ago. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and fermented mainly in used casks before ageing over two winters. (Drink between 2025-2045)