1996 Domaine des Comtés Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre
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Tasting notes
Displaying candied nuts on the nose, the Meursault Clos De La Barre is an absolutely delicious, expansive, rich, elegant and well-defined wine. Sweet layers of toasty and buttered brioches, hazelnuts, poached pears, spices, and traces of anise are found in this medium-to-full-bodied, velvety-textured, and superbly-balanced wine. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2006. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Dominique Lafon performed more batonnage than usual on his 1996s, "to give them more richness," he said. However, unlike some other vignerons, Lafon abandons the practice when the malos start because he wants his wines to be protected by the carbon dioxide gas that is a by product of a wine's malo-lactic fermentation. Lafon's yields were between 35 and 45 hectoliters/hectare, demonstrating his dedication to quality in this potentially high-yielding vintage. Importer: Classic Wine Imports, Boston, MA; tel (617) 731-6644.
Critic scores
Pierre Rovani
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Displaying candied nuts on the nose, the Meursault Clos De La Barre is an absolutely delicious, expansive, rich, elegant and well-defined wine. Sweet layers of toasty and buttered brioches, hazelnuts, poached pears, spices, and traces of anise are found in this medium-to-full-bodied, velvety-textured, and superbly-balanced wine. Anticipated maturity: 2001-2006. The rating, with the range of scores in parentheses, indicates the wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Feb 1998, www.robertparker.com
Less clear today, and less fine on the nose: notes of smoke, resin and minerals. Then bright and firm in the mouth, with clearly delineated lemon and pineapple flavors. Juicy and ripe, with almost Chablis-like acidity of 4.5 grams per liter. This is a more reductive style of wine that benefits from the bottling process, says Lafon.