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Domaine Fontaine Gagnard<br />
These wines are deservedly amongst the most popular at release time, marrying<br />
excellent quality with fair pricing and never failing to deliver the goods.<br />
Céline Fontaine is now working alongside her father Richard and together they have<br />
put in a strong showing despite yields being down between 10% and 50%, depending<br />
on the appellation. Harvest commenced on 21st September with all of the fruit safely<br />
gathered in within seven days. In the cellar, there has been a general sense of calm<br />
with bottling completed in advance of the 2011 harvest, as is the norm here. These<br />
wines are deservedly amongst the most popular at release time, marrying excellent<br />
quality with fair pricing and never failing to deliver the goods.<br />
White price per case in bond<br />
Bourgogne Blanc £130.00<br />
Fresh notes of apples and pears, this is concentrated with noticeable dry extract and zippy<br />
acidity that keeps the wine moving and fragrances lifted. Hard to fault, impossible not to like!<br />
Drink from release.<br />
Chassagne Montrachet £230.00<br />
Pure, classic Chassagne, combining white fruits, a touch of honey and a dry, mineral character.<br />
On the palate there is notable concentration and intensity once more but also palpable energy.<br />
Drink from 2013.<br />
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers £295.00<br />
Lithe, racy and pointed, showing flinty and smoky notes alongside the orchard fruits and<br />
suggestion of lemon. Good acidity here, holding the wine nicely together but this should<br />
nonetheless start to give pleasure early on. Drink from 2014.<br />
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie £295.00<br />
Open and giving with notes of yellow plums, with a little spice and ginger. Again, good acidity<br />
and vitality on the palate with depth of material that just needs a little time to fully express itself<br />
with total clarity. Drink from 2014.<br />
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos des Murées £315.00<br />
A warmer site in the heart of the village, there is exuberance to this wine that makes it very<br />
inviting, proffering notes of orange zest, quince and dried apricot with a little mint in the<br />
background. Powerful and concentrated on the palate, this is ample and fleshy. No need to hold<br />
back here. Drink from 2014.<br />
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets £395.00<br />
An invigorating wine, precise, fine and delicate with a lifted aromatic of lime, lemongrass and<br />
stone. This is classy and at ease with itself, composed and with a long, lingering finish. Balanced<br />
and beautiful. Drink from 2015.<br />
Domaine Fontaine Gagnard<br />
White price per case in bond<br />
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée £425.00<br />
There is rawness and power here with an abundance of energy and zesty, spicy, smoky notes<br />
coming out of the glass. The wine is multi-layered with racy acidity but it demands time to<br />
resolve its inner tension and find greater harmony. All of the material is there and there is the<br />
promise of great things. Drink from 2015.<br />
Criots Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru 6 bottles £475.00<br />
Notes of quince, star anise, cinnamon and stem ginger on the nose. Complex and ripe with a<br />
sun-kissed edge to its character but with very good acidity to counter the natural exuberance.<br />
These old vines always give an extra dimension of depth and raciness. Drink from 2015.<br />
Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru 6 bottles £495.00<br />
Notes of wild herbs are found among the swirling aromatics of this vigorous, confident wine.<br />
Then on the palate, a lightness of touch is displayed with the weight and density of the wine<br />
moving around the mouth with grace and ease. The finish again shows style and swagger but<br />
as it matures, expect the exuberance to drop away, leaving a handsome and rather dapper<br />
individual. Drink from 2016.<br />
Le Montrachet Grand Cru 3 bottles £675.00<br />
1 OWC bottle £225.00<br />
Not to be outdone by the Bâtard, this is confident in a more intellectual, superior way, nodding<br />
its head but saying nothing and making the taster do the work. One acquaintance is not enoughthis<br />
is a wine that demands revision and that has the capacity to change shades at a seconds<br />
notice. Today, there are soft spices but also a briny, oyster shell character with a hint of menthol<br />
in the background. Then some wild herbs emerge, chased through by a soft smokiness. It is<br />
hard not to be drawn in! <strong>En</strong>dlessly compelling. Drink from 2017.<br />
26 www.armit.co.uk<br />
T. 020 7908 0600 27
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