Jean Noël Gagnard

Jean-Noël has now long since retired, his daughter, Caroline Lestimé, has taken control of the vineyard, cellar and office at Domaine Jean-Noël Gagnard since the mid nineties and has recently been joined in this by her husband Hubert. Caroline is producing authentic Chassagne of great quality in way that is respectful both to tradition and the environment. The Domaine’s boundaries encompass some superb vineyards including Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets and Bâtard-Montrachet. The white wines are made in the traditional way, being kept in barrel for at least 18-20 months, only about a quarter of which will be new, and are bottled with only the very lightest of filtrations. They are expressive, impressive Chassagnes that display the complex nuances of their terroir. The estate was certified organic as of the 2014 vintage.

2017 Vintage

Caroline Lestime is restless in search of quality and, since officially going organic in 2014 (a process which started in 2011), is gradually seeing this hard work pay off with yields finally stabilising somewhat and the wines increasing in freshness. She describes 2017 as a very “tonic” vintage i.e. one with a lot of zip and zest to it. Picking started on the 1st September and lasted until the 10th, among one of the earliest harvests they have done. If this earlier picking is a trend as much as a feature of the vintage then long may it continue. These are characterful, traditional and very accomplished wines with a distinct edge and freshness. For their energy and clarity of flavour we feel they trump even Caroline’s 2014’s.

2018 Vintage

Viticulture is a way of life and one that requires passion and dedication on the part of the artisan grower, for Mother Nature can be vindictive sometimes. Coinciding with the period Caroline converted to organic farming, these last ten years have seen more weather extremes than ever, and tiny crops have resulted. In fact, 2019 is set to be the estate’s smallest in history. In the meantime, though nature has afforded some respite with a generous and very good quality 2018 vintage. Spring and early summer rain brought with it disease pressure, but this threat was soon dismissed by glorious warm, sunny and dry conditions that lasted the whole of mid-summer right the way through harvest. Caroline noted that the berries were juicy, which she credits to the water reserves built up earlier in the season. Harvest started on the 26th August, one of the earliest start dates in the estate’s history, in order to keep picking while grapes were at their freshest. The berries were already fully ripe by this stage so they do not lack depth or fullness of flavour. Whilst the generosity of texture and body here point to a sunny vintage, we were surprised how coiled and tight-knit some of the wines were, particularly the Chenevottes and Caillerets – which bodes well for the future. Wines of great personality, these are true artisan, traditional white burgundies brimming with character.

2019 Vintage

There were two bouts of frost in Chassagne in April, which, along with poor flowering and summer drought, have meant yields are 50% down – 25 hl/ha on average – making this one of the smallest crops the domaine has ever made. Harvest began on the 5th September – “we wanted to pick early to get the right balance of ripe fruit and acidity and not too much alcohol.” Caroline Lestimée noted. In terms of the resulting wines Caroline describes 2019s as “wines of pleasure but serious – structured – with bones!” Whether it is the rigorous organic viticulture, earlier picking or slightly earlier bottling, or a combination of factors – Caroline certainly seems to be conjuring up more and more quality from these hallowed vineyards. These are characterful, unique and traditional as ever but the last few vintages have perhaps demonstrated an even greater sense of precision and freshness in the wines than before. In 2019 this is an intense concentrated set of whites with lots of extract; they remind Caroline of the 2010s.

*2020 Vintage

We have been mightily impressed with Caroline’s wines over the last few vintages. Although an endearingly traditional domaine, this is not one that stands still. Owner Caroline Lestimé has significantly raised the bar of late; organic farming and the use of steel tank during elevage have been particularly impactful innovations. With her talented son, Philippe, alongside her in the vineyard and cellar now, the future looks particularly bright here. Caroline describes 2020 as having “good acidities, for we picked early, starting on 23rd August, and finished with the Hautes Cotes in early September. 2020 yields were a little higher than in 2019. The year has given us fresh wines, but you still get pleasure from them, they are not austere.” Quite possibly the best of what has been a very fine trio of vintages here.

2021 Vintage

Harvest for the Gagnards started on the 18th of September. Compared to 2020, there’s roughly half a crop, but what there is, is excellent. Caroline’s son Philippe joined the team in 2017, working primarily in the vineyards but increasingly in the cellar too, and whether or not the two things are linked, one senses a new level of precision in the Gagnard wines in recent years. They remain an endearingly traditional Domaine, but with their conversion to organic viticulture now complete, and more reliance on steel tanks for fermentation, they’re arguably making finer wines than ever before. The last four vintages suggest this is no fluke. Certainly, there’s a much greater emphasis on sorting the wines these days, with a new structure built outside the winery to allow for that. At harvest Caroline’s main concern was picking when the acid and sugar levels were correct, preferring a small chaptalisation to bring up alcohols while maintaining good acidities. “It was a tough season for organic farmers” Caroline noted. “When it came to harvest, which was pleasant throughout, bar one day of rain, we picked at around 12.5% potential, now using just small cases rather than the big old back mounted ‘bennes de récolte’. This allows for much gentler handling of the grapes and cleaner fruit going to the press.” The results speak for themselves.

2022 Vintage

The journey from Girardin to Gagnard takes about five minutes, yet stylistically, it’s a journey back in time; from the world of gleaming newness to that of an ultra-traditional Burgundian cellar. Caroline was upbeat when we visited, with a ‘correct’ sized crop of excellent 2022s in the cellar. And indeed, it was a superb tasting, another in a recent string of notable successes chez Gagnard. The 2022s are characterful, traditional, expressive white Burgundies with huge amounts of intensity and extract, but also freshness and acidity. The flavours are bold and wide ranging, as notes of nut and stone fruit meet cedrat and salt. Harvest began on the 23rd August with the entire crop coming in between 12.5% and 13%. “I think people will be pleased with these” Caroline opined modestly. “It’s quite an aromatic vintage, very fragrant. You can enjoy them on release or cellar them”. We’d be happy to do both. Those lucky enough to secure a case can expect palate coating, luscious yet bright Chardonnay that tells a story both of its place, and the traditional cellar that made it.

2023 Vintage

The continued move to a fresher style continues chez Gagnard, enhanced further in 2023 with the introduction of Diam Origin corks across the range. Furthermore, following tests in 2022, three large amphora fill one corner of Caroline’s diminutive cellar, while a number of inox tanks are also dotted around the place. Along with the traditional oak barrels, most wines are now composed from elements across these three ageing vessels. Having started harvest on 1st September Caroline has captured all the energy of the vintage in these 23s, a range with bright backbones of ripe acidity and extract. “For me 2022 is ice cream while 2023 is sorbet” Caroline explained, noting that they expressly harvested to guard freshness in the ‘23s. Picking early they had little sorting to do, and you can feel that in the clarity of fruit these wines display. A highly successful range of vibrant and charming Chassagnes.