2011 Jean-Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet La Boudriotte

Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard is in Chassagne-Montrachet. It has been owned and operated by the same family since the mid-18th century but it was not until the 1960s that Jean-Noel Gagnard inherited the domaine and began bottling under this own label. Today the 28-acre estate is run by his daughter Caroline Lestime. The domaine has a Grand Cru parcel in Batard- Montrachet and white Premier Crus in Chassange-Montrachet. Though best known for its white wines, it also has Premier Cru reds in Clos Saint-Jean, Morgeot and Santenay.

Chassagne-Montrachet is the appellation that covers the communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Remigny, and it is the southern-most of the Côte d’Or’s three great white wine appellations of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. With 1,200 acres of vineyards, it is one of the largest appellations in the region, and more than half the vineyard acreage is Grand Cru or Premier Cru. The three famous Grand Crus are Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. There are also 16 main Premiers Crus, most of them considered very high quality, and village wines. One fact rarely noted is that historically the appellation produced more red than white wine. In the late 1990s the ratio of white to red wines changed, however, as more vineyards were converted from Pinot Noir to Chardonnay, a logical decision given the acclaim of the appellation’s whites. There are still intriguing red wines produced. Clive Coates wrote that the appellation’s white wines generally are “full and firm, more akin to Puligny than to the softer, rounder wines of Meursault.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.