The 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Clos St. Jean is one of the richer, more exuberant wines in this lineup of 2010s. Juicy apricots, flowers, spices, butter and tropical fruit burst from the glass in this flashy, exuberant wine. It will appeal most to readers who like richly layered and textured Chardonnays. Anticipated maturity: 2012+.
I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Fontaine-Gagnard. The 2010s are rich, deep and racy, but also show tremendous transparency with regards to site and have a little more polish than is customary. Celine Fontaine told me she was very surprised by the concentration of the wines given the poor weather during the summer, but that, ultimately, it was the small size of the berries that played a big role in giving the wines their personalities. The harvest started on September 21. All of the 2010s were bottled in August 2011. Although I did not taste any of the reds, Fontaine also told me a number of the estate’s Pinot vineyards were heavily affected by the December 2009 frost and required replanting.
Importers: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, Jeffrey Wellburn Selections, Van Nuys, CA; tel. (818) 780-4446