2010 Chassagne Montrachet

A great introduction to the estate's wines, the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet shows gorgeous detail and generous inner sweetness for a village-level wine. The more delicate, feminine side of Chassagne comes through in the glass. A gentle spiced note adds complexity on the round, generous finish.

A great introduction to the estate’s wines, the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet shows gorgeous detail and generous inner sweetness for a village-level wine. The more delicate, feminine side of Chassagne comes through in the glass. A gentle spiced note adds complexity on the round, generous finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Fontaine-Gagnard. The 2010s are rich, deep and racy, but also show tremendous transparency with regards to site and have a little more polish than is customary. Celine Fontaine told me she was very surprised by the concentration of the wines given the poor weather during the summer, but that, ultimately, it was the small size of the berries that played a big role in giving the wines their personalities. The harvest started on September 21. All of the 2010s were bottled in August 2011. Although I did not taste any of the reds, Fontaine also told me a number of the estate’s Pinot vineyards were heavily affected by the December 2009 frost and required replanting. Importers: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, Jeffrey Wellburn Selections, Van Nuys, CA; tel. (818) 780-4446

Rich liquorice on the nose. Racy and fruity. Almost skeletal in that it really lacks fat. Chewy stuff. (JR)