GAGNARD-DELAGRANGE Chassagne-Montrachet 2023 Bottle

Description

IN BRIEF
Gagnard Delagrange Chassagne-Montrachet 2023 pours pale gold with green highlights, offering white peach, ripe pear and acacia blossom over a stony flint and crushed-shell thread. Toasted almond and warm brioche from measured oak add subtle richness while citrus zest and honeyed apricot lift the nose. On the palate it is poised and energetic: bright citrus and orchard fruit drive the entry, a creamy lees-shaped mid-palate adds weight, and a saline mineral seam keeps the profile precise. Lively acidity provides tension and a long, layered finish of lemon peel and toasted hazelnut. Drink 2025–2034. Critic: Dunell’s 95 (“bright and precise”). Elegant, mineral-driven and food-friendly. Serve chilled at 10–12°C with scallops, lobster or creamy poultry dishes to highlight its saline lift beautifully.

ABOUT THIS WINE
The 2023 growing season in the Côte de Beaune was warm with cool nights at vintage end, producing wines that combine ripe, expressive fruit with fresh natural acidity. Gagnard Delagrange Chassagne Montrachet 2023 is a white Burgundy drawn from Chardonnay vines, often with a selection from several lieux dits to capture both weight and minerality. Hand harvesting and gentle whole bunch pressing are typical, with fermentation carried out in a mix of stainless steel and French oak to preserve primary fruit while allowing a measured development of texture. A period on fine lees with occasional bâtonnage adds mid palate richness and a subtle creamy sheen without obscuring the vineyard energy.

The wine pours a pale gold with green highlights and a clear, focused intensity. The nose is open and inviting with white peach, ripe pear and a floral hint of acacia and hawthorn blossom. Beneath this fruit core there is a stony mineral thread, flint and crushed shell, framed by delicate notes of toasted almond and warm brioche from judicious oak ageing. A touch of citrus zest and a whisper of honeyed apricot add further interest.

On the palate the 2023 is poised and energetic. The entry is bright and precise with citrus and orchard fruit driving the front palate before a creamy mid palate texture appears, shaped by lees influence and fine oak. Acidity is lively and provides tension and freshness while a saline mineral seam gives the wine an attractive lift. The finish is long and layered with returning notes of lemon peel, toasted hazelnut and a faint saline minerality that speaks strongly of Chassagne terroir.

Suggested drinking window 2025 to 2034. Serve chilled in a white wine glass at around 10 to 12 degrees Celsius. Food pairings include seared scallops with brown butter and capers, lobster thermidor, roasted halibut with a citrus beurre blanc, chicken in a cream and mushroom sauce, mature comté or reblochon, and gently spiced Thai fish curry. Overall this is an elegant, mineral driven Chassagne with both immediate charm and rewarding mid term cellaring potential.

DUNELL'S 95 points
Pours pale gold with green highlights. Smells of white peach, ripe pear and acacia with a stony flint and crushed shell undercurrent and gentle toasted almond and brioche from oak. Bright and precise on the palate with citrus and orchard fruit up front, a creamy mid palate texture from lees and lively acidity that keeps it fresh. A saline mineral seam lifts a long finish of lemon peel and toasted hazelnut. Charming now, will reward cellaring 2025 to 2034.

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ABOUT GAGNARD-DELAGRANGE
Gagnard Delagrange is a small family domaine in Burgundy, located in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune near the village of Meursault and surrounding communes. The domaine farms a mix of village and premier cru vineyards with a focus on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, aiming to produce wines that reflect the limestone rich soils and the nuanced mesoclimates of their sites. Parcels tend to be tended with careful canopy work and yield control to favor concentration and clarity of expression.

The property is family owned and run with generations of local knowledge informing vineyard decisions. Current proprietors emphasize hands on management and continuity, combining traditional Burgundian practice with selective modernisation in the cellar. Vineyards are often harvested by hand with strict sorting to ensure only healthy, ripe grapes are vinified, and soil health and biodiversity are priorities in their cultural methods.

Winemaking at Gagnard Delagrange is typically restrained and site focused. Whites are gently pressed and fermented with attention to temperature control to preserve primary aromatics and minerality. Depending on the cuvee the team may use a proportion of new French oak for ageing, chosen to add texture without masking varietal purity. Lees ageing and occasional bâtonnage are employed selectively to build mouthfeel while maintaining freshness. Pinot Noir is vinified with careful extraction to capture fruit intensity and fine tannic structure rather than overt power.

The domaine produces a range of wines from crisp, mineral driven village whites to more concentrated premier cru expressions and elegant reds that show red cherry, floral notes and subtle earthiness. The whites are often noted for citrus and stone fruit with a saline mineral thread, while the reds deliver precision, silky tannins and length. Gagnard Delagrange represents a thoughtful Burgundian approach where family continuity, attentive vineyard work and measured cellar techniques combine to yield wines that speak of site and ageing potential.