2006 Montrachet Grand Cru

This was the first stop on my late spring tour at which a grower indicated a clear preference for 2006 over 2005-an opinion that was later to be echoed by others in the village of Chassagne-Montrachet. Richard Fontaine is not thrilled with the 2005 vintage. "They were serious wines from the start, and not really my style," he told me. "I don't really know how they will age. The 2006s are more jovial wines with a better balance. We had a lot of concentration during the last ten days of the season without a big loss in acidity, and there was little rot, noble or otherwise," he added. This property, by the way, has its origins in the historic Gagnard-Delagrange domain (Richard Fontaine married Jacques Gagnard's oldest daughter, Laurence, in 1982). Fontaine uses about 30% new oak for the premier crus, aging the staves in his yard for two years, then having a local artisan, J. N. Minier, make the barrels (this cooper was talked up by others on my most recent visit to Burgundy). Incidentally, Fontaine was one of several growers to tell me that he has stopped using silicone treatments for his corks (as of the 2004 vintage). He maintained that premature oxidation problems due to silicone began as early as 1991! (Importers include Douglas Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; Boston Wine Company, Somerville, MA; and Fine Vines, Melrose Park, IL)