Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet with Caroline l’Estimé, 30 June, 2022.
Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard
9 Place des Noyers
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 31 68
www.domaine-gagnard.com
More reports on Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard.
Caroline on 2022:
“We’ve had lots of rain in the last days but no hail.” Caroline, initially, a little preoccupied when I arrived but not because of the rain but rather because a tractor needed a new tyre. “We need new labels because of Brexit – they have to be the same as the US with the name of the importer on them – we do too many things that bring nothing and for no reason! Anyway, at least we didn’t get frosted – luckily – but we worked; plenty of candles and for the moment we remain okay in the vines – the maladies seem under control for now helped by the wind that helps to dry things. We feel happy so far because we have lost at least one whole vintage in the last 3 years. We would all be happy if the pressure on the bulk prices were to ease…”
Caroline on 2020:
“I’m really happy with the wines; I think that the quality is superb – I’ve never seen such colour with great fruit and tannins in the reds – the whites also have maturity but freshness too. It’s a great vintage in both colours – plus they are wines that you can keep. There’s a lack of wine right now, particularly for the more affordable village wines. ”
The wines…
A top address for 2019s – in fact as delicious as these 2020 reds are, I slightly preferred Caroline’s 2019s. The 2020 whites are simply brilliant and possibly a notch higher than her 2019s. This is such a great address for 2020s – get them now before her miserly volume of 2021 becomes apparent!
All but one village wine had been bottled:
From near La Rochepot, bottled last summer. This with a screwcap
This is a very lovely nose, deep and very modestly savoury but has a fine depth of fruit too. Super shape in the mouth – open, clarity of flavour, becoming more insistent and intense – bravo Bourgogne!
Villages, near Morgeot.
More depth and vibration to this nose – concentration but without heaviness. Broader, again more intense here, the minerality is really very obvious with intense mixed yellow and green citrus. I’d keep this slightly strict wine for a while but that’s another great wine!
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
Not much soil here on the hillside
Less forward but wider and similarly intense with citrus-mineral. An extra depth and slight cushioning to this textural wine. Holding another great finish of both intensity and clarity – such an excellent wine!
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Maltroie
Much more forward aromatics with a complexity of aroma and granularity that reminds of Vosne – a super nose. Hmm – more mouth-filling, similarly wide to the Chaumées, chiselled, with successive waves of broad finishing flavour. Another simply excellent wine.
This has only been in bottle for one month, vines towards the bottom of Morgeot
A more concentrated yet slightly narrower nose. Cool fruit, ultra mineral wine. Growing in mouth-filling intensity – here is a very great wine – so pure, so finely textured, though ever so slightly strict. Eventually filling every available space – bravo!
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Petit Clos
Higher in Morgeot
Not fully open but this nose still offers good width in the middle. A hint more muscle and more attack of finishing intensity – the barrel showing a little more. Really great finishing energy and, like all, direct and mineral here.
A finer florality and width to this perfumed nose. Yes! Mineral, almost chalky but with a cushioned perfumed style that is neither Chassagne nor Puligny – but is great – bravo – top wine.
Another level of chalky aromatic that slowly deepens with minerality. More direct, structural, and superbly mouth-watering. This is always a cuvée to search out and it’s the same again in 2020 – bravo!
The vines behind the largest building, bought in 1892, and divided by the grandmother of Caroline to her father and Delagrange – on the Puligny side of their vines are those of the Pernots. Still half of this waiting to be replanted – probably next year. Here and nearly 2 ha of the domaine ploughed by horse these days.
An attractive floral perfume over a deeper weight of concentration. Yes, there is more here, depth, different dimensions of flavour, new directions to new flavours, always mouth-watering – almost juicy after swallowing. Great wine!
Les Reds…
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet Cuvée l’Estime
A mix of parcels for this blend and with elevage only in tank
A punch of fruit aroma here – almost a coulis of fruit. Really intense – ingraining the palate yet no tannic grain is visible though the structure is lurking within this wine. If only to make it more accommodating to my palate, I’d wait for 2-3 years before opening a bottle but the clarity and shape of this are hyper-impressive!
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
Always the first harvested parcel.
This nose has elements of the last wine but is wider with a more assured calm – it’s a beauty. Ooh – a cascade of juicy flavour – red, vibrant fruit. CSJ – always class!
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
‘Even more virile’ says Caroline.
Actually, this nose has more calm, it’s less overtly energetic but with another fine purity of aroma. More concentrated, fine texture, but really a weight of flavour extract here. The finish is so easy and mouth-watering, lingering, almost finishing on a sustained darker mineral note. Very long. Keep this longer!
2020 Santenay 1er Clos Tavannes
A little less colour in this wine. Not much less aromatic depth though – the fruit in the depth slowly coming more to the fore and bringing ever-more clarity too. Mouth-filling the structure present but more melting in style – making this a very accommodating style. I could drink this very easily – and enjoyably – tonight. Absolutely delicious.