Burgundy is the undisputed, elegant, benchmark for Chardonnay growers around the globe. At its epicentre are three small villages south of Beaune; Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. Chassagne-Montrachet is the smallest of the three.
We were first converted to Jean-Noel Gagnard’s wines in the 1990s: the 1992s and 1994s remain etched in our memories. Honey and hazelnuts. Honeysuckle and marzipan. A balance of exquisite delicacy and power. Almost two decades later, we finally met Caroline Lestime (Jean-Noel’s daughter) who has been making the wine since 1989. Everything fell beautifully into place and we are proud to have her wines on our shelves.
She has 11 hectares; 90% white, 10% red. She stopped using herbicides in the vineyards in 2000 and has been working with the soil gurus Lydia & Claude Bourguignon’s son Emmanuel. Caroline has been organic since 2010.
We were particularly taken with two 1er Crus; Champs Gain in white and the Clos St Jean in red. The tiny Clos St Jean was originally established by Nuns attached to the Benedictine Abbey in Autun.
