Region: Burgundy, France
Varietal: Chardonnay
Tasting Notes: In bottle. A little yellow to the colour, this is in the mirabelle yellow plum style with sunny weight and some length. It is altogether a fleshier style of Chassagne compared to the tighter Champgains. —Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy 91/100
This is the first wine to display overt reductive notes and here it's enough to warrant a thorough aeration if you're going to crack a bottle in its youth. Otherwise, there is a slightly sleeker mouthfeel to the better delineated middle weight flavors that possess a lovely sense of underlying tension before culminating in a saline-inflected and notably dry finish. In 2018, this is a Chaumées of finesse and refinement. Outstanding, Allen meadows, Burghound 92/100
Pairing: It’s no surprise that we recommend white fish, shellfish, and oysters with this bottle. To all the PNW locals, Dungeness season is just around the corner. For a decadent brunch that is in perfect harmony with the 2018 Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées Premier Cru, try Dungeness crab Benedict. The sweet and salty crab meet, the lemony-creamy hollandaise sauce, the pillowy-buttery muffin, need I say more! This Cousin Kelly's Dungeness Crab Benedict recipe is simple and amazing. Enjoy!
The Les Chaumées Premier Cru of Chassagne-Montrachet is located on the slope on the village's Saint-Aubin side (the northern edge) above Les Vergers and Les Chenevottes. It is situated on the the upper part of the steep, northeast-facing slope at 300-320 meters above sea level. It has light, shallow soils with lots of rocks. Viticulture is certified organic (with biodynamic methods), and the wine is aged for 18 months in 228L barrels (1/3 new) after indigenous and malolactic fermentation.
This appellation is the newest in the history of the domaine. It started with a first purchase in 1997, followed by another in 2004, and this appellation now completes the Jean Noël Gagnard range of 1er Crus, adding to the variety of the Domaine's wines. Approximately 370 cases are made each year.
About: Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard is a Burgundy wine producer based in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet in the Côte de Beaune. It produces a single grand cru wine made from Chardonnay from a 0.4 hectare (one acre) holding in the Bâtard-Montrachet vineyard, as well as a large number of (predominantly white) premier cru wines from vineyard holdings across Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay.
The domaine is named after Jean-Noël Gagnard, who managed the domaine from 1960 until 1989. Caroline Lestimé took over from her father in 1989, though Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard still retains his name. The estate’s modern reputation has very much been built by Caroline, who has made it her responsibility to develop the many expressions of Chassagne Montrachet terroirs across her range.
She has implemented several significant developments in the vineyards – most notably planting new Chardonnay clones and abandoning the use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides. Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard makes two premier cru wines from Pinot Noir grapes cultivated on plots situated in the Premier Cru vineyards of Clos Saint-Jean and Morgeot. Several village-level wines and a pair of Hautes Côte de Beaune labels are produced.
