September 2023 | Enthusiast Wine Club

Heritiers du Comte Lafon 2022 Macon-Villages

From the brain of Dominique Lafon comes the Hertiers du Comte Lafon project; an extension of the famed Domaine du Comte Lafon of the Côte d’Or. This project extends south to the Macon and allows Dominique to create bottlings at everyday price points. Once thought as the wild south of the larger Bourgogne, the Macon is being cultivated and treated as a terroir of singular expression and identity.

The Macon-Villages bottling is a collection of vineyards throughout the Macon that are declassified from the single vineyard bottlings. On the pop, the 2022 expression is soft and supple with aromatics of papaya, sunflower, white daisies, and low-tone macadamia. The acid is soft and almost passive – not in a lazy way, but instead in a comfortable way that soothes rather than challenges. In the glass are warm tones of butterscotch and lemon curd that develop with temperature and time. On day two the wine takes an interesting turn and becomes more tense and saline, like preserved lemons and toasted sourdough. For food pairings I would suggest comfort food (try and keep it simple here). Prepare your favorite pasta, make a quick white sauce with your favorite hard cheese and butter, and add some salt. Done. You can add some cured pork and fresh herbs if you’re feeling fancy. Serve in all-purpose stemware, drink just above refrigeration temperature, and drink now – 2028.

Saraziniere 2021 “La Pepie” Macon Rouge

My shameless love affair with Saraziniere strengthens; this Macon rouge is 100% Gamay hailing form the charming Father and Son team of Philippe and Guilaume Trébignaud in the southern Macon. The fruit for these cuvees comes from parcels with an average vine age of 60 years old, and creates wines of intense structure and personality.

The “La Pepie” cuvee needs a few minutes to open right off the pop, but once it settles into itself, the wine is a joyful evolution. Initially the wine throws aromatics of tomato leaf, nori, and white pepper and then rapidly transitions to a flood of wet asphalt and rose petals. On day two the wine becomes (relatively) more fruit forward with a flinty, raspberry tonality. Overall, I prefer the wine on day two and encourage folks to either decant, wait it out (open it the morning you want to drink it), or age it for a few years. For food pairings I might suggest rabbit, venison, or any wild game. Serve in all-purpose or large-bowl stemware, drink at cellar temperature, and drink now – 2028.

Gramenon 2021 “Poignée de Raisins”

Domaine Gramenon carries a pedigree that you would think spans centuries despite being relatively new on the scene – the estate was founded in 1979 and the current proprietor, Michèle Aubéry-Laurent, has been working the ground and the fruit since 1990. Like many conscientious stewards of the land, the estate is farmed organically and biodynamically, with minimal to no intervention, and is cultivated in an ecosystem of innovation and regeneration. 

The “Poignée de Raisins” is 100% Grenache and comes from a mixture of terroir and soils on the estate. The glass is an invigorating explosion of granitic notes, quince paste, and white pepper oil. If this wine were a candle, I would fill my house with hundreds of candles. On day two the wine is more savory and olive forward with a core of plum flesh that becomes softer and more round on the palate. As a fan of energetic wines, I prefer the wine on day one when the wine has more vibrancy and a longer finish. For food pairings I would try something fatty and spicy like BBQ ribs, pork belly, or sauteed tempeh. Drink now – 2027, serve in all-purpose stemware, and drink at cellar temperature.