Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Comtes Lafon is the benchmark estate of Meursault, producing whites of remarkable richness and minerality that age for decades. The reds from Volnay are often overlooked but equally exceptional. The estate traces back to 1869 when the Boch family built the cellar (Clos de la Barre) in Meursault. In 1894, lawyer Jules Lafon married Marie Boch, bringing those vineyards into the family. Jules expanded the holdings (acquiring plots in Montrachet Grand Cru in 1919) and in 1923 founded the famous Meursault Paulée harvest feast. For much of the mid-20th century, the vineyards were leased out under sharecropping contracts. René Lafon began reclaiming them in 1956, and by 1961 the domaine was bottling its own wine. Dominique Lafon took over in 1985, ended all remaining leases by 1993, and converted to organic (1995) then fully biodynamic farming (1998). By the 2000s, Comtes Lafon was universally regarded as a reference-point domaine.