2022 Comtes Lafon - Volnay Santenots (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Domaine des Comtes Lafon took shape after Jules Lafon, a lawyer and later mayor of Meursault, married Marie Boch in 1894 and began buying prime plots in Meursault and Volnay. He also launched the Paulée de Meursault, the village's celebrated harvest feast. Dominique Lafon took charge in the mid-1980s, brought the vineyards back from sharecroppers, and converted to biodynamics, before handing the reins to his daughter Léa and nephew Pierre.

Santenots-du-Milieu actually lies within Meursault, but by tradition its red wines carry the Volnay premier cru name. The domaine's parcel sits on clay-limestone soils on the slope above Meursault and is farmed biodynamically and picked by hand. In 2022 the team used a higher share of whole clusters, around half, for freshness and complexity, with native-yeast fermentation and 18 to 22 months in barrel, about a third new.

Deep, inky purple, it opens with plum, mulberry, sweet wild berries, and violets, touched by spice, smoke, and a hint of graphite. The palate is fleshy and suave, rich yet never astringent, with well-integrated tannins and an impressively long finish. Serve it with beef Wellington or roast partridge.