Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet with Céline Fontaine, 25 October 2023.
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard
19 Route de Santenay
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 35 50
www.domaine-fontaine-gagnard.com
Céline on 2023:
“Nature was generous – we are very happy but it was a proper volume, not one to bring dilution. I’m passionately waiting to taste them in a few months. The juice is really aromatic and the fermentation went easily and very fast. The chardonnay grapes were brilliant but the reds were more fragile and needed another week to mature – we started harvesting 1st September and we finished every parcel of whites before starting the reds. We saw a small amount of hail near Volnay and here we could sense a little acetic rot but in Chassagne all was super clean. The juices were clean and impressive. We harvested reds between the 5-8 September. It was a tiring harvest though due to the heat. We lodge 40 people for the harvest and it was a great ambience. We actually de-leafed most of the whites due to the worry of oïdium in June!”
Céline on 2022:
“A year that was very early – similar to 2020 – except that June was hot and dry and the veraison took longer than expected so we eventually started harvesting 26 August and luckily so because by the 30th the maturities just zoomed up – fortunately we only had the Bourgognes to finish. Abundant – towards 50 hl/ha in whites and closer to 33-45 depending on the parcels of the reds. Part of the whites are bottled and all will be done by February.”
The wines…
Clean, tasty – often excellent wines – their monopole ‘Clos des Murées’ was outstanding !!
All is sealed with Trescasses cork here.
Les Blancs:
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet
The largest cuvée of the domaine with 1.7 ha in 6 parcels – this year with roughly 12.5°.
A pretty width with some saline complexity. Good concentration and silky texture. Delicious finishing flavour that has concentration and generosisty but remains balanced and not heavy.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Maltroie
‘Normally one of the first harvested, ‘typically charming’ from two small parcels
Extra width with a fine delicacy – this has an inviting elegance. In the mouth direct and mineral with fine purity – excellent intensity and really clarity of flavour. Simply lovely and with a really engaging finish!
Centre of the village ‘we don’t work here in the afternoon as it’s enclosed and really hot!’
That’s a beautiful nose – lightly herbed and inviting. Mineral and finely structural – that’s really lovely and with impressive fresh intensity. I haven’t tasted many of these but this is really top!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Boudriotte
Part of Morgeot which was such a large cru as it was easier to sell to the négoce like that in the days before (pre-80s) much domaine bottling
A fine width – that’s a beautiful, easy nose. Large scale with a faint cushion and fine, mineral-based intensity. Completely delicious and wide, fine finishing. That’s the best burst of finishing flavour yet!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
From the ‘vignes derrière’ section ie derrière the last houses of the village.
A modest nose today. Wonderful mouth-watering width. With lovely intensity. With such a direct and vibrant finish. A great finish!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Romanée
Plain east-facing on the slope. The yields had been low for a while – only one barrel in 21 but 5 in this vintage – ‘but we could make 8-9 in this parcel so we are replanting – this will be the last for 5-6 years!’
Another elegant width of aroma – very fine! Fuller, super energetic, generous and complex. Another wonderful Chassagne
2022 Criots Bâtard-Montrachet
South-facing next to Bâtard. ‘The young (5) vines really suffered in 22.’
More aromatic volume. Larger scale with a hint of cushion to this richness. Extra stature for sure vs the 1ers, length too. Properly grand cru with a hint of tannic grain in the finish.
2022 Bâtard-Montrachet
3 parcels but most comes from a parcel near Criots and another near Puligny
Easy and broad. Really mouth-filling and very wide. Proper GC volume but keeping balance and energy – really intense and beautifully long finishing. Generous but balanced – very long fading finish.
2022 Montrachet
‘No new oak in this vintage as I didn’t like how it worked out in 2020.’ In the family since the end of the 70s.
Clarity and a certain vibrancy to this width of aroma – faintly floral too. Really a fine and vibrant energy in the mouth – quite direct – electric even. That’s a wonderful finish, faintly grained with tannin at the end.
And for the road…
Deeper, full of notes of complexity and maturity – “‘Mildium’ (mildew and oïdium!) we had that in places in 23 too.” Turning creamy too. Wide, very silky, intense – subtly hard but still wonderful wine – possible better with some food but a beauty with plenty of finishing dimension and salinity. Grand cru? Yes indeed – 2012 Montrachet a treat !!