Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru 2003 – Gagnard

A month or so ago I ordered a couple of mixed cases from the Wine Society.  I thought it would be a good way to get some interesting varied wines for everyday drinking, but I didn’t look much into what was actually in the cases.  When they arrived though, I realised that they were not everyday drinking wines; most of them were rather good.  So of course we then had to order a separate case of everyday drinking wines but that hasn’t arrived yet.

Wondering what to drink when we were having a barbecue on Friday, and not having much in the way of everyday drinking wine lying around, I had a look through the aforementioned mixed case and picked out this one which looked like it would be ready to drink.

The colour was a lovely clear, medium gold, but what hit you immediately after pouring was the intensity of the nose, which was full of citrus, a bit of peach and a rich buttery vanilla with minerality in the backround.  The palate was similar, quite full in the mouth with the buttery richness balancing well with the fruit and minerality and a hint of spice – both the vanilla and a mellow oakiness.  It had a long length and although it didn’t need much air after pouring, it did open up a bit further, revealing more complexity.  Very good indeed.  This is the sort of wine that I dream about getting in a tasting exam because there is just so much to say about it.