Note: from a .30 ha parcel in Chassagne
Producer note: The always candid Céline Fontaine-Gagnard briefly described the 2022 growing season as one that was "relatively easy to manage as it was mostly hot and dry. There was a huge fruit set though the dry conditions caused a serious amount of hydric stress, especially with the young vines that don't yet have well-developed root systems. We began picking on the 26th of August with the pinot that was basically spotless. Yields were very good though not especially high and certainly not what we expected given the excellent fruit set. This is to say that the pinot came in between 35 to 40 hl/ha while the chardonnay ranged from 45 to 50 hl/ha. Potential alcohols were essentially perfect as they came in at 13 to 13.5%. As to the wines, it's been a while since the last time I have seen such fine quality in both colors." I would note that there are some really lovely wines among this group of 2022s and particularly so at the grand cru level though with that said, don't overlook the La Romanée and Grande Montagne.
Tasting note: Fontaine indicated that this had been bottled the day before my late February visit yet somewhat surprisingly, there was no reduction in evidence on the beautifully layered and fresh nose displaying a panoply of white orchard fruit aromas suffused with hints of lemon zest, floral and spice nuances. The rich, suave and powerful broad-shouldered flavors are admirably refined while displaying superb length on the tightly wound and strikingly persistent finale. This impeccably well-balanced finale is also very clearly built-to-age and I would suggest not even thinking about opening a bottle for at least 5 years. In a word, outstanding.