Blain-Gagnard Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet

Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet bottle image

Wine Description

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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Criots-Batard-Montrachet
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Jean-Marc Blain
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Acclaim
“There is only a mild whiff of exotic character present on the aromas of white peach, pear, apple and a hint of lychee character. The concentrated and markedly powerful large-scaled flavors conclude in a beautifully persistent, serious, compact and built-to-age finish. This is excellent with the aging potential to match.” — Burghound, Jun 2024
“Restrained and elegant, a glorious combination of steely acidity, stony minerality and crunchy ripe fruit. Great purity here. Not the showiest Montrachet Grand Cru but certainly a very elegant one. I would be delighted to have this in my cellar and it has the acidity to last.” – 18 points (reviewed by AWH) — Jancis Robinson, Jan 2024
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet
Vineyard size
< 1 acres
Soil composition
limestone and clay with lots of small pebbles
Exposure:
Southern
Bottles produced of this wine:
675
Average Vine Age:
a mix of 30, 40 and 60-year-old vines
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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
70
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.44
Acidity:
3.4 g/L
Alcohol:
13.2 %
Dry extract:
19.6 g/L
Total SO2
70
Residual sugar:
0.4 g/L
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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.

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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”).