Domaine Blain-Gagnard Chassagne Montrachet 'Caillerets' Premier Cru 2013
SKU
BGCH201312 UCAU
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*Sweet spot Outstanding* - Burghound
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93 points - Burghound
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This is one of the finest white Burgundy estates, where the wine-making involves minimal interventions.
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1 or more bottles$119.99
Editors notes
This is one of the finest white Burgundy estates, where the wine-making involves minimal interventions. It is run by Jean-Marc Blain and his wife Claudine, the daughter of Jacques Gagnard-Delagrange. The family owns some of the village’s greatest hillsides. New oak barrels are never used to excess, being subtly spread amongst the different cuvées, so that spicy oakiness is never perceptible here. Blain is also prudent with stirring-up of the lees (known as bâtonnage) which, if used to excess, may result in heavy wines which taste mealy. Here, on the contrary, the finished wines have great purity of fruit, with balanced acidity and long, clean flavours which clearly evoke the wines’ precise origins.
Details
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Wine Type
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Variety
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Brand
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Cellaring
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Alcohol Percentage
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Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Apple
- Lemon
- Nectarine
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Palate
- Apple
- Cream
- Peach
Food Pairings
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Cheese -
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Poultry
Critic Scores & reviews
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Allen Meadows
92"A pungent and relatively cool nose is comprised by notes of a wide variety of citrus elements, orchard fruit, rosemary oil and discreet petrol nuances. The very rich and opulent flavors coat the mouth with dry extract and the intense minerality helps to add lift to the lingering and well-balanced finale. This is sufficiently accessible that it should drink well young but it also has the stuffing to reward 6 to 8 years of cellar time."
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The Wine Advocate
93"The 2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru les Caillerets has a captivating chalky bouquet that has one of the best defined aromatics in 2013: this has a razor-sharp focus. The palate has the depth and roundness of the Morgeot, but there is slightly mineralité toward the finish that offers grapefruit, quince and a healthy dash of spice. There’s also that lovely saline ending to finish what is an outstanding Chassagne. Excellent"
Other vintages
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Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Burgundy
Burgundy is undoubtedly the home of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnays in the world, where vineyards, or Domaines have been producing wines for over 2000 years. Burgundy is located in the North-east of France, an hours drive from Lyon and 2 hours from Paris. With over 100 appellations, or sub-regions (more than any other wine region) Burgundy is known for being the most terroir-oriented region in the World. The finest red wines of Burgundy are found in the Côte d'Or, a string of villages including Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey St Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St Georges.
There are flavours present in great Burgundys that are the envy of Pinot Noir producers worldwide. The elusive peacocks tail finish that goes on and on, and the pretty-elegance backed by Burgundy muscle is the goal of winemakers around the globe. The main levels in the Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations. For the Chablis wines, a similar hierarchy of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village wines is used, plus Petit Chablis as a level below Village Chablis.
Chassagne-Montrachet
Chassagne-Montrachet is an appellation Village in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune region of Burgundy, France. It’s know for the classic Burgundy grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With the Chardonnays, expect aromas of mayflower, acacia, and honeysuckle alongside verbena, hazelnut, and sometimes toast or buttery notes. Likewise, expect flinty minerality. Notes of honey or ripe pear emerge with age. The palate is fleshy yet mellow. With the Pinot Noir wines, you’ll likely find aromas of morello cherry, cherry pit, strawberry, gooseberry, and raspberry. On the palate, a delicious fleshiness somewhat mutes tannins that, though somewhat austere in the young wines, give way with age to a concentrated, complex, and flavoursome structure.
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