Finesse is the key when it comes to the 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets. The Caillerets is all about details and nuance. As such, its subtleties are easily missed, but they are very much there. This is a Chassagne that captures all of the elegance and refinement that is possible in the village. Perfumed, floral notes and a touch of honey wrap around the finish. The Caillerets is easily one of the highlights here in 2010. I loved it. Anticipated maturity: 2013+.
I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Fontaine-Gagnard. The 2010s are rich, deep and racy, but also show tremendous transparency with regards to site and have a little more polish than is customary. Celine Fontaine told me she was very surprised by the concentration of the wines given the poor weather during the summer, but that, ultimately, it was the small size of the berries that played a big role in giving the wines their personalities. The harvest started on September 21. All of the 2010s were bottled in August 2011. Although I did not taste any of the reds, Fontaine also told me a number of the estate’s Pinot vineyards were heavily affected by the December 2009 frost and required replanting.
Importers: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, Jeffrey Wellburn Selections, Van Nuys, CA; tel. (818) 780-4446