Dave’s Wine Tips: Pair Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâcon-Villages with Summertime Seafood Tempura

On steamy summer evenings, nobody wants to heat up the kitchen, right? Try instead a “take out” meal of crispy, breaded Japanese tempura seafood rolls wrapped with steamed rice, avocado slices and savory sauces. The delicious 2017 Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâcon-Villages, France, a terrific white Burgundy at an attractive price around $23, makes a perfect partner.

DOMINIQUE LAFON

This tasty Mâcon wine comes from Dominique Lafon’s foresight and persistence.  As an accomplished winegrower in Burgundy’s famed Côte d’Or, it would have been easy for Lafon to remain focused only on his primary vineyards in Meursault, Volnay and Monthelie. But in 1999 Lafon pursued a visionary investment by buying vineyards and cellars in southern Burgundy near the village Milly in Mâcon.

At the time, the region had a reputation for churning out easy-drinking, undistinguished white wines. Yet Lafon saw potential for producing Mâcon wines of quality and value by farming select sites with organic and biodynamic methods.

Consequently, he chose chalky hillside vineyards. And instead of treating the vines and soils with synthetic chemicals, Lafon relied on natural preparations and increased manual labor to enliven the soils.

“Organic and biodynamic methods have proven successful in terms of health of the vines and quality of the wines in Mâcon,” Lafon notes. “We are trying to achieve wines of elegance and lightness but with deep flavors.”

To achieve that depth of flavors, Lafon typically waits longer than other growers before harvesting the grapes manually. According to Lafon, the harvest time becomes critical especially with risky autumn rains always lurking.

Lafon aims for ripe grapes naturally rendering between 12.5 and 13 percent potential alcohol. His head winemaker, Caroline Gon, then ferments the juice with native yeasts. The wines age in large wooden foudre vats and demi-muid barrels, none of which are new oak.

2017 IN MÂCON

Despite late Spring frosts and sporadic summer hail storms, the 2017 vintage unfolded nicely in the Mâcon region. A prospect of drought loomed after hot and dry conditions in July and August. But much welcomed rains just before harvest saved the day and allowed the Chardonnay grapes to ripen while retaining fresh acidity.

The 2017 Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâcon-Villages, France  offers lovely, ripe citrus and peach aromas light earthy notes. In the glass, the wine has ample concentration with ripe apple and citrus flavors and subtle creamy notes. Crisp acidity and mouthwatering mineral provide lovely balance and uplifting freshness through the dry finish.  Highly Recommended.
(Currently the 2018 Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Mâcon-Villages is widely available in the U.S.A. at an average national price of $23–see wine-searcher.com for available retailers.)

VIRÉ-CLESSÉ

Lafon also owns vineyards in Viré-Clessé, a relatively new Mâcon appellation.

“Our vineyards are situated in Viré, just south of the village on the hillside next to the area called en Roally. This is one of the appellation’s best places,” Lafon says. “We work very old Chardonnay vines averaging 60 years and produce only 35 hectoliters of wine per hectare.”

This relatively low yield renders richness and depth of flavor, but Viré’s high concentrations of limestone soils preserve fresh balance in Lafon’s wine. The enhanced richness in the 2018 Héritiers du Comte Lafon, Viré-Clessé (available nationally on wine-searcher.com at an average price of $34) calls for a more substantial dish. Try the delectable lemon roasted chicken recipe courtesy of Becky Wasserman & Company, Lafon’s export representatives at  in Beaune, France.