Burgundy
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard, Côte de Beaune
It would be fair to say that the Gagnard family tree has a lot of branches. While all Gagnards in this part of the Côte de Beaune are related, this domaine takes its name from Richard Fontaine and his wife, the former Laurence Gagnard. Laurence is a daughter of Jacques Gagnard, who masterfully guided Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange for decades. The vineyards of Gagnard-Delagrange were divided between Laurence and her sister Claudine, as were those of their grandfather, Edmund Delagrange. Claudine married Jean-Marc Blain resulting in the neighboring Domaine Blain-Gagnard.
Richard Fontaine is a meticulous vigneron. His vineyard regime is based on the principles of lutte raisonnée (literally reasoned fight), which means he takes an organic approach in meeting the challenges of Mother Nature. Now with the help of his daughter Celine, he tends 20 acres, including parcels in three Grand Cru vineyards and a vast array of Chassagne’s best 1er Cru terroirs. In addition, the family has holdings in a top 1er Cru in both Pommard and Volnay. The domaine produces two-thirds white wine and one-third red. While Richard and Celine never use more than one-third new oak and no FG white wine is aged over a year in wood, the Fontaines are very particular about barrels. Their longtime cooper makes barrels to Richard’s specs, and they are set aside to dry out for at least two years before use.
Domaine Facts
| Vines & Wines: | 20 acres mostly in Chassagne with parcels also in Pommard and Volnay GRAND CRUS: Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet CHASSAGNE 1ER CRUS: La Romanée, Les Caillerets, Les Vergers, Morgeot, La Boudriotte, Les Chenevottes, La Maltroie, Clos St. Jean, Clos des Murées CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET VILLAGE (Vieilles Vignes Chardonnay) POMMARD 1ER CRU: Les Rugiens VOLNAY 1ER CRU: Clos des Chênes |
| Soil: | Chassagne – white oolite and Pierre de Chassagne limestone with marl Pommard and Volnay – broken red oolite limestone (containing iron) and marl |
| Harvest: | Manual harvest using small bins with strict selection in vineyard |
| Yields: | 35 hectoliters/hectare average for Grand Crus, 40 hl/hectare average for 1er Crus, and 45 hl/hectare average for Chassagne-Montrachet Villages |
| Vinification & Elevage: |
Pneumatic press. Wines moved into combination of new, second and third-year barrels where they undergo malo-lactic. Never more than one-third new oak used. Bentonite used for fining and whites wines get light plaque filtration before bottling. |
| Annual Production: | 70,000 bottles / 5,833 cases |