2019 Le Montrachet

Unwinding in the glass with notes of pear, citrus oil, mandarin orange, ripe peaches, freshly baked bread and clear honey, Lafon's 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru is full-bodied, elegantly muscular and layered, with a deep and prodigiously concentrated core, striking mid-palate amplitude and a long, lip-smacking finish. In any comparison between the triumvirate of 2017, 2018, and 2019, I can see this, the youngest of the three, taking first place a decade from now.

There are four-and-a-half barrels – or, to be exact, three pièces and one 350-liter puncheon – of the 2019 Montrachet Grand Cru this year, compared to the usual six or seven. More significantly, Dominique Lafon told me that the 2019 is the final vintage to be raised entirely in new oak before being racked into used oak after 12 months, the 2020 being matured in 50% new and 50% used oak. This new direction is partly influenced by his son and daughter taking the first steps in directing the domaine and Lafon, to use his own words, questioning his modus operandi and trying a new approach. The tender, fragrant bouquet offers white peach and glimpses of white chocolate and saffron, displaying wonderful mineralité and precision. The harmonious palate is well balanced with fine tension and a subtle and not unwelcome creaminess to the texture. Lightly spiced, offering crushed rock and hints of tangerine, this is a beautifully composed Montrachet that lingers seductively in the mouth. Aristocratic.