2000 Domaine des Comtés Lafon Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru

Bright, copper-tinged yellow. Aromas of dried fruits, clove and hazelnut, plus a yeasty Champagne-like note and a whiff of crushed stone. An energetic, juicy midweight with a slightly wild quality to its orange zest and marzipan flavors. This can't match the '02 for weight but is nonetheless plush and smooth, and aeration brought a stronger mineral presence. Finishes classically dry, with lovely dusty persistence. Lafon noted that, owing to hail shortly before the harvest, he picked his Pinot Noir first, and he suggested that he may have avoided dilution in his white wines by picking the Chardonnay later. He added that his small parcel of relatively young vines (two ouvrées planted in 1982) actually gave considerably more sugar in '00 than in '99. Lafon enjoyed this vintage from the outset for its elegance but told me this spring that he has had some problems with leaky corks. (48 h/h; 3.3 pH; 3.8 g/l acidity)

(in 2000, this was bottled without fining). Razor sharp aromas of wet rocks, earth and white fruits meld into flavors that are crystalline in their precision, purity and transparency. Understated, discreet and fine yet this is painfully intense with buckets of minerality. Quite backward presently but this is a genuinely breathtaking wine that defines class. In two words, absolutely brilliant and consistent notes.

The 2000 Meursault Perrieres exhibits intense smoke and mineral scents, and possesses great aromatic depth. Medium to full-bodied and vinous, this seamless stone and mineral-laden wine is rich, well-balanced, and exceptionally long in the finish. Importers: Various including Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel. (617) 731-6644, and Beaune Imports.