Wine Advisor
Fontaine Gagnard, Criots Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2018
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
Dramatic and expressive, the 2018 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru exhibits aromas of orange rind, peach, honeyed pears and marzipan. Full-bodied, supple and textural, it's an enveloping but youthfully structured wine that will reward at least a couple of years of bottle age. Céline Gagnard told me that this site handled the hot conditions well.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2018 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru has an open, tropical-tinged bouquet that is quite seductive with all those passion fruit and pineapple scents, but it does not convey a sense of mineralité. It actually becomes more reductive when returning to my glass after 10 minutes. The palate is balanced with a slightly spiced opening, oily in texture (botrytis?) with plenty of extract. Rather dense and muscular towards the finish. Give this two or three years in bottle. Tasted blind at the Burgfest 2018 white tasting.
About the Producer
Laurence Gagnard and Richard Fontaine founded the domaine in 1985 with passion and enthusiasm; their daughter Céline joined the estate in 2007. The family has worked in the vineyards for several centuries, and the domaine carries on this legacy - love of the "terroir" and the search for the best possible quality. Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard works on 22 different appellations, including three Grands Crus: Bâtard-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet and the crown jewel, Le Montrachet. The estate covers 12 hectares mainly in Chassagne and the winemaking methods are traditional: hand-picking, settling fermentation using natural yeasts, ageing in oak barrels (0 to 30% new oak, depending on the appellation), fining and light filtration. The white wines are bottled after one year of maturation; red wines stay in the barrel for up to 18 months, depending on the vintage. "Fontaine-Gagnard is a Chassagne domaine that has really upped the ante in recent vintages since Celine Fontaine has taken the reins. This was a splendid showing of wines, one of the most comprehensive in Chassagne" Wine Advocate
