Meursault Goutte d'Or, Domaine des Comtes Lafon 2009

An overtly ripe nose speaks of hazelnut, white peach, pear and soft spice notes that merge seamlessly into rich, full-bodied and broad-scaled flavors that brim with an abundance of extract that confers a textured mouth feel onto the intense, powerful and muscular finish.

Tasted out of barrel at the Domaine. This has a very intense bouquet with superb mineralite and essence of what Meursault is all about. Smoke, walnut and a touch of honeycomb inflecting the citrus fruits - very tense. The palate is quite rounded on the entry, but then seems to tighten up. The weight is there, the concentration certainly, but it will take 4-5 years to really unwind. Impressive. Tasted January 2011.

Sample taken before fining: Pale straw-yellow. Deeply pitched aromas of ripe peach and honey. Chewy and sweet but restrained on the palate, with excellent density and energy to the zippy stone fruit flavors. Finishes dry and classic, with palate-coating persistence. The same wine after the fining: Restrained, pure aromas of white flowers and clove. Lush, rich and seamless, with harmonious acidity contributing to the wine's smooth impression. More refined than the first sample (no surprise!) but not showing quite as much energy today.