Jean Noel Gagnard - Chassagne-Montrachet 'Les Chaumes' 2022

In 1989, after returning from business school in Paris, Caroline L’Estimé took over the winemaking and vineyard direction from her father, Jean-Noël. Since then she has climbed to the upper echelon of the great white burgundy producers. She has some of the best premier cru sites, as well as a small parcel of the great grand cru Bâtard-Montrachet.  Caroline’s wines have a woman’s touch, show beautiful minerality and a consistent subtlety, both details that often get lost in the powerful and blocky white wines of Chassagne-Montrachet. Her father, Jean-Noël, is a bit of a legend in the industry for making beautifully crafted and age worthy wines. Plus, he’s an extremely nice man!

Chassagne-Montrachet’s greatest claim to fame is its shared (with Puligny-Montrachet) Grand Cru vineyards, Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet, and the tiny Criots-Montrachet. Despite those being the most expensive and famous wines, they are not very representative of this village’s great premier cru and village sites. Situated on another hill to the south of the Grand Crus, lies a set of vineyards that make up Chassagne’s well-known powerful and dense white Burgundies. It happens that Gagnard has a good dose of most of the very best vineyards located in this appellation. Historically known for its red wines, trend in drinking converted this appellation’s production in the direction of white wine. The few reds that are still around are age-worthy and often undervalued. The tenderloin of the best sites for the whites are higher up on the hill tucked just to the south and north of the village, arguably the best of them is Caillerets.

The Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Chaumes” 2022 from Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard is a refined and complex white wine, made from Chardonnay grapes in the heart of Burgundy. On the nose, it opens with aromas of citrus, white flowers and ripe fruit, with an elegant mineral touch and nuances of butter. On the palate, it is full and creamy, with a pleasant freshness and a long, persistent finish. It represents the elegance and quality of the great wines of Chassagne-Montrachet.

"Bottled in early August. Clear colour, a softer white fruit here, open and delicious. Seems more generous but less precise compared to Chenevottes but there is certainly plenty of wine here." - 91 Points, Jasper Morris

"From a 0.59ha parcel in a well-exposed location, high on the slope in very thin soils. The fruit ripens well here and the wine shows a ripe, exotic note on the nose, while the palate has a dense, rich texture, but the wine never loses sight of its balance. Lovely length and great potential for ageing" - 92 Points, Decanter

Producer: Jean Noel Gagnard

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Varietal: Chardonnay

Appellation: Chassagne-Montrachet

Vintage: 2022

Size: 750ml