Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine Clos du Four 2024
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The Land
Milly-Lamartine is a hill village west of Mâcon that carries the name of Alphonse de Lamartine, the Romantic poet who called it home, and the commune climbs from about 237 to more than 500 meters, higher and cooler than the Mâconnais of popular imagination. Clos du Four is a single vineyard on the mid-slope, facing east at roughly 250 to 270 meters. It is steeper and catches more sun than the domaine's higher Milly-Lamartine parcels, and in 2024 it was picked earlier. The soil is the key difference: deeper than elsewhere in the commune, with more clay mixed with limestone and plenty of small limestone stones broken off the bedrock. Clay builds body; limestone keeps the line tight. The result is a Mâcon white wine with real weight and grip.
The Wine
Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine Clos du Four 2024 is 100% Chardonnay from vines planted between 1982 and 1985. It ferments in demi-muids, then rests nine to ten months on its fine lees and is racked before bottling. The large wood adds texture without oak flavor, and the lees round out the middle. The 2024 season was a fight. Pierre Lafon estimated that the Mâconnais took about twice the rainfall of Meursault, and the domaine lost crop to both mildew and a difficult flowering. He chaptalized to 12.5 percent alcohol, arguing that anything lower would taste too thin. Early tastings found Clos du Four the fuller, richer of the domaine's two Milly-Lamartine wines, with good tension and grip. Expect lime, grapefruit, and citrus peel with a touch of lavender, then a driving, mineral finish.
The People
In 1999 the Lafon family of Meursault bought a small domaine in Milly-Lamartine. Dominique Lafon, already one of the defining white Burgundy producers of his generation at Domaine des Comtes Lafon, became the first Côte d'Or vigneron to invest seriously in the Mâconnais, a region then known mostly for high-volume, industrially farmed Chardonnay. He went after higher-altitude, old-vine parcels and converted every one of them to biodynamic farming within a few years. The estate has since grown well beyond Milly-Lamartine, adding Viré-Clessé in 2009, and its range now reaches Uchizy, Bussières, Prissé, Chardonnay, and Pouilly-Fuissé. Clos du Four is one of its signature wines and the clearest case that Mâconnais Chardonnay can carry the structure people expect from the Côte de Beaune.
Food Pairing
Clos du Four has the body for cream and butter. Make chicken thighs in a cream sauce with morels or cremini mushrooms and a splash of the wine; the acidity cuts the richness while the clay-driven weight stands up to the sauce. Seared scallops with brown butter and cauliflower purée play the wine's round middle against its citrus snap. A leek and bacon tart, served warm with a green salad, gives the smoky salt something to bounce off. This is the white to open when you want Burgundian depth at a price that lets you pour a second glass.
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The Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, located in the southern part of Burgundy, are regions known for their approachable and characterful wines, both red and white. The Mâconnais is especially celebrated for its Chardonnay, producing white wines with a rounded texture and a core of bright fruit and minerality. The Chalonnaise, though also known for Chardonnay, sees great use of Pinot Noir and Aligoté, with a focus on freshness and vibrancy. While often overshadowed by the Côte d'Or, these regions offer a unique blend of tradition and value, showcasing a diversity of terroirs and styles, while still maintaining the overall character and grace that is Burgundy.
Burgundy - Chalonnaise & Maconnais
Chardonnay, one of the world's most versatile and beloved white grape varieties, showcases a remarkable spectrum of styles, from the lean, mineral-driven expressions of Chablis in France to the rich, buttery, and oak-aged versions from California's Napa Valley. Its adaptability extends to cooler climates such as Burgundy, where it achieves elegance and complexity, and to regions like Australia's Yarra Valley, known for producing vibrant and fruit-forward renditions. This grape's ability to reflect its terroir, coupled with winemaking techniques, results in a wide array of profiles, including unoaked, crisp varieties with apple and citrus notes, to full-bodied wines with tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures.
