Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 'Les Caillerets', Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard 2024

Les Caillerets is one of Chassagne-Montrachet's most compelling premiers crus — a vineyard that sits just below the great Montrachet itself, and it behaves accordingly. Fontaine-Gagnard is one of Chassagne’s great traditionalists, quietly producing some of the appellation’s most complete and age-worthy wines. Farming is resolutely old-school rather than dogmatic, with a focus on balance, density and longevity over fashion. In 2024, that restraint mattered. The vintage was hard work. High mildew pressure, early harvest beginning on 22 August, and naturally low yields around 35 hl/ha for whites and 30 for reds. A hot August pushed ripeness quickly, but September brought dilution and freshness back into play, finishing around pH 3.3–3.4. The result is a vintage of crunchy acidity, dense fruit and classical proportions, more ripe than 2013, closer in spirit to 2010, though Burgundy has changed too much for lazy comparisons. "Highly mineral and green-tinged aromatics. Stone fruit, flint and a finely prickly texture, with restraint rather than overt generosity. Serious and structured." Ksenia Pashkova, Club Merchandiser From around 2028, the stony, chalky mineral character should begin to integrate fully with the fruit, and the hazelnut and brioche notes that come with age in good Chassagne should start to emerge. The window of peak drinking is probably 2029 to 2036, when fruit, texture, and mineral complexity will all be in balance. Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is one of Tim Atkin's 2024 Top 10 Côte de Beaune White Wine Producers.