Le Montrachet is a fascinating thing. It’s very rare, it’s very expensive and – for many people – the greatness of the style can be almost as difficult to get to grips with as the size of the price tag. And to be fair, the huge fanfare and weight of expectation that accompanies the title of Le Montrachet makes for a big task, a task that not all wines can ever possibly live up to. 
But the recently released 2013 Fontaine-Gagnard Grand Cru Le Montrachet is a wine that easily asserts itself into the realm of greatness. It is superb for all of its richness, inherent complexity and tight-coiled power. And where so many great modern white Burgundies call on plenty of oak and cleverly air brushed winemaking to draw you in, this is a majestic young wine that presents an uncluttered expression of site and fruit purity.
The 0.8-ha Fontaine-Gagnard plot is in the Chassagne side of the Le Montrachet vineyard where the neighboring vines are shared with illustrious names like the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Leflaive and the Domaine des Comtes Lafon.
Their style across all their whites, from top to bottom, is one that gives full voice to each facet of terroir. They are precise, they are refined and they are as elegant as they are powerful. Great chardonnay in full flight is a glorious thing and it doesn’t get much better than this.
Fontaine-Gagnard Grand Cru Le Montrachet 2013
The domaine produces just 1.5 barrels (one smaller new oak barrel and one regular seasoned barrel). This smells of pristine white flowers and light spiced hazelnuts, green tea, grapefruit and tangerine citrus fruits, peaches and nectarines too. It’s a less rocky and flinty wine than the Criots and more a bold expression of pure and powerful fruit. The palate unleashes a huge ball of concentrated white peach and nectarine flavored fruit that is underpinned by glossy porcelain-like acidity; it launches a finish of superb depth and length where the fruit holds long fleshy and seemingly endless. Exhilarating, so balanced as to appear deceptively airy, real x-factor appeal here. Best from from 2017. 97 points.
Fontaine-Gagnard Grand Cru Criots-Batard-Montrachet 2013
One of this domaine’s most revered wines, this delivers an initial hit of lightly grilled hazelnuts amid concentrated peach and yellow grapefruit, a flurry of chalky crushed rocky notes and white flowers. The palate unleashes energetic lemon, grapefruit and cool white peach flavors; this cleverly marries power with restraint, finishing innately balanced, fresh and long. This is great value and will improve over the next three to five years. 95 points.
Fontaine-Gagnard Bourgogne Blanc 2013
A bright nose of orchard fruits, a gently savory edge and gently toasty oak influence, smells of warm toasted hazelnuts. Good depth and fleshy appeal, beat balance. Drink now. 90 points.
Photo: Fontaine-Gagnard Vineyard
Contributing Editor Nick Stock is a renowned Australian wine writer, author, presenter and filmmaker who reports on his worldwide wine tasting experiences for JamesSuckling.com.
