Vinous (96+)

Usually we feature older wines in Cellar Favorites, but given the understandable trepidation consumers have around cellaring white Burgundy, I thought it would be interesting to see how a handful of highly touted white Burgundies are faring. To be honest, I had a selfish reason for wanting to taste these wines. I bought many of the Lafon 2010s (it is my daughter’s birth year), but I did so not really knowing when the wines would be ready to drink or how long they will last. I think I can at least offer a view on the first part of that question, but the second, happily, remains a question mark, in the best sense of the term.Vinous readers will recall that 2010 is unusual in the Côte de Beaune for its combination of both elevated ripeness and high acidity, two attributes one rarely finds in the same vintage. At Lafon, the 2010s were positively electric when I tasted them from barrel and then from bottle. Today, a few years later, the 2010 whites are every bit as impressive. Although projecting drinking windows for white Burgundy these days is fraught with peril, based on this showing all of the 2010s need at least a few more years in bottle with the possible exception of the Goutte d’Or.While the preceding Meursaults all offer a measure of exuberance – albeit in a classically austere style – the 2010 Meursault Genevrières is a much more introverted wine that draws the taster in with its myriad shades of dimension. Deceptively medium in body, the 2010 is all about intensity, cut and inward energy, with the classic reductive flavor profile that is typical of this great site, and breathtaking harmony. The 2010 refreshes the palate with every taste as it continues to grow in the glass. Over the last few years, the 2010 has blossomed into a spectacular Meursault. This is the best showing yet from the Genevrières.

Vinous (97)

The 2010 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru is one of Dominique Lafon's finest offerings from this noble vineyard in recent years, echoing Stephen Tanzer's finding from his vertical in 2019. It has an electrifying bouquet with such intense mineralité that it threatens to overwhelm the senses. The palate is beautifully balanced with a killer line of acidity, just a twist of bitter lemon lending tension, and a judicious touch of creaminess on the detailed finish. Ludicrously brilliant.

Vinous (98)

The 2010 Montrachet Grand Cru is a spectacular wine that fulfills all its potential. The bouquet rivets you to the spot with yellow flowers, hints of honeysuckle and petrichor, with aeration becoming a little petrol-like. The palate is brimming over with nervous energy. There is incredible depth, real thrust to this Montrachet that just lacquers the senses, yet it is only just beginning to demonstrate what it can do. Wow. Bravo Mon. Lafon. Tasted at Noble Rot's Xmas dinner.