Héritiers du Comte Lafon

Dominique Lafon was ahead of the game when he decided to invest in the Mâconnais, almost 25 years ago. Vineyard prices back then were considerably lower than they are today, although it’s probably fair to say that the difference in land values between the Mâconnais and the Côte d’Or has, in fact, got even bigger than it was a generation ago. Many others have followed Dominique’s lead since then and with the new Crus system now in place, the trend will likely continue apace.

There is little doubt there is still a lot of untapped potential in vineyards that are just an hour’s drive from Chassagne-Montrachet. The only danger is that the slightly warmer conditions of the area will mean a more tailored approach towards both viticulture and vinification will be required to ensure that the afore mentioned potential is fully realised. Caroline Gon runs the domaine from its base in Milly-Lamartine, although Dominique’s daughter, Léa, and nephew, Pierre, are very much involved, too.

Stylistically, the wines are crafted to express the vitality of the individual terroirs rather than the richesse of region, with fermentation taking place in steel and ageing occurring in larger barrels, with limited new oak the order of the day. The Domaine is run biodynamically and now totals around 30 hectares in size.