Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard

Chassagne-Montrachet

If terroir is key in Burgundy, the Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is ready to unlock every door in Chassagne-Montrachet. In their hometown alone, the domaine produces wine from three Grand Crus and twelve different premier crus, including such mythic parcels as Le Montrachet, Les Caillerets, and La Romanée. Since 2007, the domaine has been ably guided by Céline Fontaine, who combines a youthful energy and touch with the Burgundian tradition established by her parents, and crafts archetypal examples of some of the greatest climats in the world.

The Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard was created in 1985 by Laurence Gagnard from the Gagnard family in Chassagne, and Richard Fontaine, who had served as an air force mechanic before establishing the new domaine with his wife. The original four hectares of vineyards came primarily from the Gagnards in Chassagne, along with a small portion from Celine’s grandmother’s family Delagrange in Pommard. Over the next twenty years, the family undertook an ambitious campaign to purchase vineyards in Chassagne, and gradually increased the size of the domaine to 12 hectares.

Tradition runs deep in Burgundy, and winemaking at Fontaine-Gagnard is no exception. All wines are vinified with indigenous yeast. The whites are aged for one year and the reds for 18 months in the domaine’s custom-crafted barrels. Starting in the late 1980s and continuing through today, the domaine purchases their own custom French oak through a courtier de bois (wood broker), who ages the oak for them for two years, and then delivers it to a local cooper to finish their custom barrels (pièces, in Burgundian slang).

Fontaine-Gagnard is one of the finest traditional domaines in the Côte d’Or. A true specialist of Chassagne, the estate produces excellent wines that set the bar high for each vintage and reflect their wide range of grand terroirs.