2010 Domaine Michel Lafarge Côte de Beaune-Villages

Good medium red. Redcurrant and spices on the nose, along with a leathery rusticity. Supple, round and sweet, with dominant flavors of cherry and spices. A bit aggressive on the end, but with good lingering sweetness. (Incidentally, the Bourgogne Passetoutgrain L'Exception showed lovely red berry flavors, a chewy texture and firm acid/tannin spine; it should be an outperformer for its appellation.)

The 2010 Cote de Beaune Villages (from vines in Meursault) shows gorgeous lift and aromatic vibrancy in its freshly cut flowers, red berries and spices. I very much like its understated, delicate style. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2020. Yields were down 40% in 2010 at Lafarge. According to Frederic Lafarge, a superb September saved a year marked by damp, cold weather during the flowering and later throughout the summer. On the positive side, the low yields per plant allowed the grapes to achieve full phenolic ripeness. The 2010s were racked in mid-August 2011 and were aging on their fine lees when I tasted them from barrel in November 2011. As pretty as the 2010s are, today I have a slight preference for the 2009s. That said, the 2010s are terrific, and many of the wines are at or near the top of their respective peer groups. A Becky Wasserman Selection, Le Serbet, various American importers, including: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808; Veritas Imports, Beverly Hills, CA; tel. (310) 205-3803; Toepfer Imports LLC, CO; tel. (303) 818-7640

Quite pale and evolved. A bit muted on the nose and dry on the finish. Lots of tannin and a bit too light on fruit. (JR)