Slightly more elegant aromas include those of pear, exotic tea and pretty floral nuances. There is better underlying tension to the delicious and attractively textured flavors that possess just a bit more overall depth and persistence on the firmer finale. *Burghound Outstanding!*

Tasted both with and without the component that comes from Clos de la Baronne. The blend is the best, with the Baronne adding more weight while seeming a little clumsy on its own. Pale and fresh, lightest of reductions, then richer and fatter on the palate, the fruit fills out the middle and stretches out the finish.

The 2019 Meursault Village opens in the glass with notes of honeyed pears, white flowers and peach, complemented by hints of buttered toast and praline. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and precise, it's charming and generous, with lively acids and a nicely defined finish. Dominique Lafon—joined by daughter Léa and nephew Pierre—began picking on September 5 and was very upbeat about the quality of the 2019 vintage, reporting yields in the region of 40 hectoliters per hectare and alcohol levels in the upper 13s. Both more concentrated and more incisive in white and finer-boned and more elegant in red, I'd give the nod to 2019 over 2018 in both colors at this address. And that is quite a compliment, as Lafon really excelled in 2018. In short, as Dominique hands the reins to the next generation, it's fair to say that the Domaine des Comtes Lafon is in very fine shape indeed. (WK)