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.

The 2009 Meursault Goutte d'Or is clean precise and beautifully focused. It shows lovely mid-palate pliancy in a slightly rounder softer style than the Clos de la Barre. Ripe pears and white flowers linger on the energetic saline finish. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. Dominique Lafon's 2009s are just as stunning from bottle as they were when I tasted them in cask earlier this year. Lafon is one of the most thoughtful growers in Burgundy. Along with a group of his colleagues Lafon is among the producers who has basically re-examined every aspect of the way he makes wine in response to the problem of premature oxidation. Today-s wines spend more time on their lees but that is just one of many changes that have taken place here over the last few years. Except as noted I tasted the 2009s from bottle. --- Antonio Galloni