-
94
/ 100
Decanter -
92
/ 100
John Gilman -
92
/ 100
Burghound
Red
Classification
Pinot Noir
Variety
2017
Vintage
750ml (Bottle)
Bottle Size
France
Country
Burgundy, Beaune
Region
13.0%
Alcohol %
5-10 Years
Cellaring
Scores
94 / 100"Deep colours are not Frédéric Lafarge's thing when it comes to Pinot Noir, but producing wines with haunting finesse most certainly is. This Pinot from a site on the southern side of Beaune, just below the Montagne St-Désiré, is wonderfully fresh and precise, with the gentle tannins that are a key part of the style, taut acidity and caressing summer berry flavours."
- Decanter
92 / 100
"The 2017 Clos des Aigrots is an excellent wine in the making. The bouquet is deep and complex, wafting from the glass in a fine blend of red and black cherries, raw cocoa, chalky soil tones, pigeon, gentle smokiness and a discreet base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full and nicely reserved in personality, with a seamless attack, a sappy core, excellent soil signature and fine length and grip on the ripely tannic and very well-balanced finish. This is high class juice in the making, but it will probably want a full decade in the cellar to properly blossom and start hitting on all cylinders."
- John Gilman
92 / 100
"A more elegant, pure and airy nose features the cool essence of red cherry together with hints of wood, spice and violet. The highly energetic and intensely mineral-inflected flavors possess outstanding delineation before concluding in a chiseled, firm and youthfully austere finale. A wine of finesse but with punch."
- Burghound
Tasting Notes
Following the sad passing of Michel in January 2020, his son Frédéric and granddaughter Clothilde maintain his legacy – producing some of the greatest wines in Volnay.
There’s nothing modern in the winemaking at Domaine Michel Lafarge, though the meticulous care for their biodynamically farmed vineyards puts them at the forefront of viticultural practices.
In the vineyard
Vineyard work is usually assisted by the estate’s hens, who eat up any lurking pests. In ’14, Frédéric and Chantal (maiden name Vial) Lafarge decided to buy some Beaujolais vineyards, starting in Fleurie before expanding into Chiroubles and the Côte de Brouilly. The vineyards had all previously been run organically, and that continues under the Lafarge-Vial stewardship – along with biodynamic treatments.
In the winery
The grapes are destemmed and vinified traditionally; very little new oak is used in the cellar.
Tasting Profile
- Light
- Full
- Low Tannin
- Tannic
- Sweet
- Dry
- Low Acidity
- High Acidity