Blain-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

Domaine Blain-Gagnard was formed in 1980 when Jean-Marc Blain married Claudine Gagnard, youngest daughter of Jacques and Marie-Josèphe Gagnard of Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange. The couple runs this venerable domaine with the help of their son Marc-Antonin. They now control 20.5 acres of vines in Chassagne-Montrachet, including holdings in three grands crus: Le Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.

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Wine Production

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet comprises the two villages which are the smallest of the Grand Crus in Chassagne and Puligny-Montrachet with just 3.9 acres. The vineyard is located entirely within the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet and sits directly south of Bâtard-Montrachet. Criots is one of the smallest appellations in France and there are only a handful of producers who bottle it.

Tasting Notes

It’s easy to assume that Criots would have the same richness and weight as Bâtard, its next-door neighbor. In fact, Criots is the most delicate of the five Grand Crus in the vicinity. The wines are more about perfume and delicacy with fine structure and intense minerality, and is from vines planted between 1929 and 1979.

Food Pairing

White Burgundy, with its rich texture and toasted flavors, pairs well with white fish and shellfish, and its naturally high acidity can counterbalance cream-based sauces. Oak-aging lends itself well to grilled fish, starches, butter, and toasted nuts.

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Wine Production

Tasting Notes

Food Pairing

Brand Materials

Tech Sheet Bottle Shot Acclaim

POINTS

“This is marvellous. Blain crushes the grapes lightly and avoids sulphur until after malo. His way of working produces this subtle, elegant wine with notes of ripe pear touched with acacia blossom, a touch of smoke and his trademark minerality. The texture is dense but never heavy, and the wine lingers elegantly on the finish. Blain explains the difference between Bâtard and Criot, just across the street: Bâtard has deep clay, while Criots has a stonier soil and one always senses the minerality.”

POINTS

“Jean-Marc Blain explains that the soils here have more limestone pebbles in the soil, giving it a distinct minerality and freshness compared to his more massiva Batard. The wine in the 2020 vintage has a beautiful elegance despite the richness of the year, showing expressive aromas of ripe pear fruit, acacia and almond, and a rich and fleshy texture without heaviness. The impressively persistent finish lingers softly, and the wine should age well for years to come.”

POINTS

“This is relatively firmly reduced so if you’re tempted to try a bottle young, be sure to give it some air first. Otherwise, there is good power and underlying tension to the medium weight plus flavors that retain solid delineation on the impressively long finish. This will need to add depth with time in bottle, but the material is present for that to occur.”

Burghound

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

Vineyard size:

< 1 acres

Soil composition:

limestone and clay with lots of small pebbles

Exposure:

Southern

Average Vine Age:

a mix of 30, 40 and 60-year-old vines

Winemaking & Aging

Varietal composition:

100% Chardonnay

Fermentation container:

Barrels

Fining agent:

Vegan

Type of oak:

French

Length of aging before bottling:

11 months

Total SO2:

Analytical Data

pH level:

3.23

Acidity:

6.1 g/L

Alcohol:

13.8 %

Dry extract:

21.1 g/L

Total SO2:

Residual sugar:

0.6 g/L

About the Vineyard

Chassagne-Montrachet lies towards the southern end of the Côte de Beaune and is famous for its white wines, although half of its total plantings are in red. In addition to the Grand Crus, Blain-Gagnard’s holdings in Chassagne-Montrachet include two red premier crus and four white premier crus along with small holdings in Volnay and Pommard. The vineyards are farmed by lutte raisonée (“reasoned struggle”).

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