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  • Country ranking ?

    1 075
  • Producer ranking ?

    34
  • Decanting time

    1h30min
  • When to drink

    now to 2030
  • Food Pairing

    Rabbit casseroles with a fruity element

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The Story

This parcel was planted in three different stages, the oldest by Auguste Morey, the next by Pierre Morey and the third by Dominique Lafon. Very well situated in the upper part of 'Les Charmes', the last vines at the south of the appellation next to ' Puligny Combettes'. It faces due east, is relatively deep clay and limestone (argilo-calcaire) with very crumbly rock deep down. The grapes ripen well and the wines are always powerful though never falling into the heavy wine bracket. Production is even, between 40 and 50 hl, accidents excepted
 

Appellation Meursault Charmes Premier Cru
Parcel Charmes du Dessus
Exposure East
Surface area 1 ha 71 ares
Gradient 0 à1%
Plantation dates 1946, 1963, 1996
Rootstock 161-49
Graft Mass selection and clones (CL 117, 95, 119, 124, 548)

 

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Wine Information

Lafon Vintage 1990

The Weather
A very mild winter, vegetation started very early (March) followed by cold weather in April which slowed down growth . There was a risk of frost in the spring but there were no problems after all. Fruit set was very heavy, which forced us to remove part of the crop in the spring. Flowering went reasonably well and we discovered a lot of millerandage when it came to harvest-time, (Perrières, Genevrières, Charmes, Montrachet, Santenots, Santenots, Champans). No sanitary problems throughout the entire period. Summer was very dry, probably the driest over the last three years: no rain from 15/07 to 30/08. Botrytis presented no problem. At the end of August the excessive drought blocked ripening. Fortunately, 3 consecutive days of rain, followed by continuous sunshine up until the harvest started vegetation up again. Grapes were healthy on the eve of the harvest

The Harvest
It started on September 18th for the reds and September 21st for the whites. The entire period was sunny and the harvest lasted quite a long time (until September 28th). Despite the presence of millerandage and the fact that we had reduced the number of grapes, yield was extremely high:

* 50 to 55 hl/ha for whites (except Montrachet 30 hl/ha)
* 40 to 45 hl/ha for reds

The analyses were superb, 13° to a potential 13.7° for both reds and whites with acidities even better than in 1989.

Vinification
Presented no problems in particular. Fermentation was regular but not too fast (temperature controlled). No chaptalization was necessary.

Charmes

This parcel was planted in three different stages, the oldest by Auguste Morey, the next by Pierre Morey and the third by Dominique Lafon.

Very well situated in the upper part of 'Les Charmes', the last vines at the south of the appellation next to ' Puligny Combettes'. It faces due east, is relatively deep clay and limestone (argilo-calcaire) with very crumbly rock deep down. The grapes ripen well and the wines are always powerful though never falling into the heavy wine bracket. Production is even, between 40 and 50 hl, accidents excepted

Appellation Meursault Charmes Premier Cru
Parcel Charmes du Dessus
Exposure East
Surface area 1 ha 71 ares
Gradient 0 à1%
Plantation dates 1946, 1963, 1996
Rootstock 161-49
Graft Mass selection and clones (CL 117, 95, 119, 124, 548)

The Wines
The reds are superb, the colour intense and true, the degrees around 13.5, the pH before malo around 3.30, the total acidity 4.90 which should bring us up to a pH of around 3.45 and to a total acidity of 3.80 to 4.00g at the end of malo. The tannins are high in quantity but very fine. They seem to be very balanced with a lovely density, definitely destined to be another great vintage, a little softer than in 1988 and 1989.
The whites are difficult to assess at this stage. The degrees are around 13.5 pH, and a 3.20 pH before malo with a total acidity of 4.90. When malo ends the wines should be around 3.30 pH with an acidity of 4.00g, which is better than in 1989. The wines have a lovely density and one would assess that 1990 will be somewhere between 1988 and 1999.
Text written 21th July, 1992

MEURSAULT PERRIERES 1990 From 40 year old vines, an exceptionally high but regular yield this year: i.e.: all the vines had grapes and these lovely clusters were constituted of small, very ripe and very healthy, golden berries, with a good acidity. This, therefore, explains the very high quality of this vintage in spite of the high yield. Ageing in new barrels until the first racking (April 1991), returned to older barrels, a second racking in April 1992 followed by fining and bottling without filtering (July 1992).At present this wine is a superb golden colour and the nose is typical of a Meursault which has reached maturity (toasted bread and hazelnut). On the palate it provides great power and fleshiness sustained by good acidity. Perfect to accompany some shellfish or white meat flavoured with truffles!

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Vintage 1989

1989 VINTAGE in Burgundy

Weather conditions were exceptional which led to a notably early harvest with perfectly ripened grapes in both colours. The reds with their velvety tannins have a fine colour, showing softer more elegant tendencies than the 88?s. They make a wonderful choice to drink on a special occasion. The whites in general were very precocious; ripe, powerful, rich, generous and well rounded; most should already have been drunk but the Grand Crus are superb for drinking now and over the next few years.

As regards the style of the 1989's, we now have one or two general impressions. The white wines are of great class. The Chardonnay in Burgundy has produced wines with ripe, powerful aromas and rich, generous body tending, in certain cases, almost to unctuosity. Initial comparisons have been drawn with 1971 and perhaps 1964.

The ripening of the Pinot Noir crop was somewhat hindered in several areas by unexpectedly large quantities of second generation grapes and extremely dry conditions. The resulting natural sugar levels were slightly lower than the recent yardstick year, 1985, but the fruit was in perfect condition. Overall quality will be good to very good.

The red wines have fine, deep colour and quite vinous, concentrated fruity aromas. They are well constituted and round and should be capable of ageing well. Initial comparisons have been drawn with 1966 and 1979.

In the Beaujolais, the Gamay has yielded powerful, fleshy wines lacking perhaps the charm of textbook Beaujolais. The wines are reminiscent of the 1978's.

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Information

Origin

Beaune, Burgundy

Vintage Quality

Excellent

Value For Money

Good

Investment potential

Below Average

Fake factory

None

Glass time

1h

Other wines from this producer

Meursault

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Meursault Perrières

Meursault-Porusots 1er Cru

Monthélie les Duresses

Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain

Volnay Clos des Chenes

Volnay Les Champans

Volnay Santenots

Volnay Santenots du Milieu

Inside Information

The hard Comblanchian limestone which disappears deep underground around Nuits-Saint-Georges reappears here where, as one moves southward, red wines give way to whites. Nowhere in the Côte de Beaune does the Chardonnay grape do better than it does here. Along the village streets are a succession of little houses belonging to the vineyard workers, mixed with more imposing dwellings. The stone-work on the 53 metre-high church tower looks like it could be the work of fairies. The excellent soils were planted with vines by the monks of Cîteaux as early as 1098. A small amount of red wine is produced here, though white definitely dominates. Meursault's appellation of origin status dates from 1937.

The best soils are found at heights of 260-270 metres with exposures along an arc between east and south. They consist of Jurassic marls and marlylimestones. There are some patches of magnesian limestone. The ancient callovien limestone and argovien marls shave the crus.

There are observable but minor differences between the wines of the different " Climats " (named plots). In most cases, Meursault is greeny-gold in colour or canary yellow, leaning towards bronze as it ages. Limpid and brilliant, it sometimes exhibits silvery highlights. Its bouquet has strong aromas of ripe grapes. The young wine is redolent of toasted almonds and hazelnuts in a floral (mayflower, elder, bracken, lime, verbena) and mineral (flint) setting. Butter, honey, and citrus fruits are also present. On the palate it is rich and fat with a cheerful and appealing taste of hazelnut. Unctuousness and freshness are in silky balance. Long and structured, it needs time to mature - this is a great white wine for laying down.

Its aromatic power and exceptional balance between fat and acidity make it an aristocrat among burgundies. Unsurprisingly, it has a natural affinity with noble and fine-textured fish or meat, which it can match without overpowering. It performs a similar feat with joints of veal or poultry in white sauce, which are rendered sublime by the wine's unctuous texture and long, distinguished acidity. Still better are grilled lobster, crawfish, or king prawns in sauce - dishes whose aromatic intensity and crisp texture match the lively and supple balance of the wine. Even blue cheeses and goose liver take to it immediately.
Serving temperature : 12 to 14 °C.

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