Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard was established in 1985 by Céline’s parents – Richard Fontaine, a former air force engineer, and Laurence Gagnard, of the Gagnard wine family in Chassagne. Together, they embarked on this new venture, with vineyards that came primarily from Laurence’s family. Eventually, Céline joined them at the domaine and spent a good number of years working alongside them, before taking the reins herself in 2007.

Céline has brought a new energy and outlook to the Burgundian tradition put in place by her parents, from the vineyard through to the cellar. At the domaine, vineyard work follows the principle of lutte raisonnée (“reasoned fight”). This essentially means an organic approach, electing not to use any chemical treatment unless it is absolutely necessary to mitigate a disaster. Such an approach eschews convenience in pursuit of high-quality nature-driven fruit.

While the Fontaines never use more than one-third new oak and no Fontaine-Gagnard white wine spends more than a year in wood, they are very particular about barrels. The domaine’s longtime cooper Tonnellerie Minier, located in nearby Chagny, makes barrels to the family’s specifications, and they are dried out for at least two years before use. This is why there is a slightly toasty fragrant aspect which lends luxurious attractiveness to the wines, and yet it never overpowers the fruit.

Since Celine Fontaine has taken the reins, there has been a drive towards quality that is clearly tangible in the wines. Moreover, she always comes across as an intelligent, thoughtful, candid and passionate winemaker… — Neil Martin

We’ve always believed that one can do no better in understanding the terroir of Chassagne-Montrachet than by tasting across the wines from this domaine. The family’s impressive array of vineyards in the commune encompasses both red and white, and spans all cru levels.

Amongst the grand crus, Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard has one of the largest pieces of the smallest grand cru in the Côte de Beaune, “Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet”. Clive Coates named the Fontaine-Gagnard Criots as “one of the very best sources for this tiny grand cru”. The domaine’s other grand crus, the splendid Bâtard-Montrachet and the illustrious Le Montrachet, also come from the Chassagne side of those exalted climats.

The style of the wines at Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is intense, focused, deep and complex. These are Chassagnes that start out life as classically balanced and accessible, but always with fine expressions of terroir and the underlying structure to age gracefully.

Astute Burgundy lovers know that this domaine is a consistently excellent source of elegant white Burgundy that still offers relatively good value. Since taking over as head of the domaine, Céline has delivered greater finesse, purity and precision with each successive vintage. She’s part of a new generation that has revisited viticulture fundamentals with a passion, fashioning wines that are stylish and alluring yet never lacking in verve and focus, and this is no more evident than in the most recent vintages.

Despite some damage from spring frosts followed by intense summer heat during the 2019 growing season, the fruit at harvest was super-clean and notably ripe without being too ripe. As a result, Céline notes, “the wines are remarkably fresh and terroir-driven, so we are quite happy with the results”.

The offer is valid until 6 April 2022. Some wines have restrictive supplies, so please understand that we may have to allocate them in order to ensure as equitable a distribution as possible. Orders will be processed subject to remaining availability and final written confirmation. Full payment is required no later than 7 days after confirmation invoice is sent in order to confirm the purchase. All terms and conditions apply.