Fontaine-Gagnard & Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

A really interesting article by Ed Zimmerman. I drank that 2009 Le Montrachet with him and Chris Thile in 2015. The potential was obvious.

Great story, Ken. Thanks for sharing it. I’ve always loved Richard Fontaine’s wines. So crisp, fresh and vibrant.

Long time, no see, Barry. We have to rectify that. I am even willing to drink Burgundy. :wink:

Always loved this wine - and found the rarity of the vineyard fascinating. Seeing how small Criots is in real life is remarkable.

Think I’ll pop one of my 06 Criots!

To conclude several thousand words on this particular wine without mentioning the vineyard’s distinctive exposition / topography vis a vis Bâtard-Montrachet, and without adverting to Fontaine-Gagnard’s premox issues (about which Céline is very candid) seems like a bit of an omission!

I will be very interested in your note. My experience with these wines is they taste wonderful young, but do not age well.

I have consumed several bottles of 2012 Fontaine-Gagnard Criots-Batard-Montrachet this year. I thought they were very flavorful and quite delicious. However, to my taste, they seemed fully mature and not for long keeping. I would suggest drinking up in the next year or so.

The first bottle a few weeks ago was explosively powerful and majestic. One of the best white burgs I’ve ever experienced. However, it was clearly doing so with close to its last breath. This bottle is noticeably less mature, more focused and poised but ultimately not quite as thrilling. Still, extremely good though!

With just 2-3 months in the barrel? Was it even through fermentation (alcoholic is possible/likely, malo most likely isn’t)?

LOL! That’s a typo. It should say in 2015. blush

This is ancient history but I tasted a number of the 2002 F-G soon after release and thought that they were stunning. Purchased CBM, to open it in around 2008 to find it just about shagged.
Methods may have changed since that time, but I would suggest conservative drinking windows be applied.

The 04’s were delicious until the got hit by the pre-mox train…

Thankfully I drank mine young, but it pained me to do it.

Yes!

Has anyone actually had a Fontaine Gagnard at age 10 plus that had aged well, or “properly”?

due to their premox record, I avoid them like the plague premox is.

Went back through notes and realized I got caught in the twisted Chassagne family tree and loved Blain-Gagnard and their Criots. They had some issues with PremOx, but I was much more lucky here personally.

I had their 1982 Montrachet 5 or so years ago which was about as good as White Burgundy gets. A wine from a different era in more ways than one !

De-listed them from work due to unacceptable oxidation issues. Would have bankrupted us to be continually giving credits/replacements for knackered wine and taken half my life hounding people up the supply chain to make us whole again. Just not worth it.