Red Chassagne-Montrachet always has a very charming bouquet. Even before it reaches the palate, the intense aromas of ripe red fruit delight the taste buds. The art of the winemaker is to retain a wine's fresh, fruity characteristics, and roundness. However, Pinot Noir is a delicate grape variety, especially in the Chassagne-Montrachet village appellation, and Jean-Noel Gagnard does he's best to make sure that its rustic terroir does not make the wine unbalanced or dry it out during fermentation and barrel ageing. Producer Information 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, when his daughter Caroline Lestimé took over. She has implemented several significant developments in the vineyards – most notably planting new Chardonnay clones and abandoning the use of chemical fertilizers and herbicides. In terms of vinification, Gagnard first presses its Chardonnay grapes before leaving the musts to settle in Allier oak barrels for up to 48 hours prior to fermentation. Each premier cru vineyard plot is vinified separately, producing over ten premier cru white wines. Of these, the two most highly regarded are those produced from the domaine's small vineyard holdings in Les Caillerets and Blanchot Dessus. Other notable white holdings include the village-level, albeit highly regarded Pot Bois site (which was planted in the early 2000s and first produced in 2009) and La Boudriotte. 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. A numer of village-level wines and a pair of Hautes Côte de Beaune labels are produced.
