2009 Meursault Clos de la Barre

From a tank sample taken just prior to the fining: Bright, pale yellow-green. Grapefruit and lemon ice on the nose, plus a whiff of white truffle. Edgy lemony acidity gives shape to the palate and carries the finish. A second sample, taken after the fining: Bright pale yellow. Subtly perfumed nose hints at lemon ice. Juicy and pure but a bit sharper than the first sample, showing excellent precision to the lemon zest flavors. A very site-driven sample that finishes with a salty nuance and noteworthy cut and length. I like what the fining has accomplished.

The 2009 Meursault Clos de la Barre is quite pretty. Today it comes across as a touch lithe, but there is plenty of freshness and verve in the glass. It will be interesting to see where this goes in bottle. I tasted the Clos de la Barre from tank, where it was awaiting bottling, scheduled for July, 2011, probably not the ideal time to taste the wine.

The 2009 Meursault Clos de la Barre is quite pretty. Today it comes across as a touch lithe, but there is plenty of freshness and verve in the glass. It will be interesting to see where this goes in bottle. I tasted the Clos de la Barre from tank, where it was awaiting bottling, scheduled for July, 2011, probably not the ideal time to taste the wine. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Dominique Lafon's 2009s are just as stunning from bottle as they were when I tasted them in cask earlier this year. Lafon is one of the most thoughtful growers in Burgundy. Along with a group of his colleagues, Lafon is among the producers who has basically re-examined every aspect of the way he makes wine in response to the problem of premature oxidation. today's wines spend more time on their lees, but that is just one of many changes that have taken place here over the last few years. Except as noted, I tasted the 2009s from bottle. The 2009 Charmes, Perrieres and Montrachet were bottled in May, 2011. I also tasted all of the 2010s from barrel. The Meursault, Clos de la Barre and Goutte d-Or weren't showing well, while the Meursault premier crus and the Montrachet were all sublime. A Daniel Johnnes Selection, imported by Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300