The 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanee is another beautifully balanced wine. The 2010 has an element of roundness and general expressiveness in the fruit that separates it from some of the other wines here. It strikes a compelling middle ground between the richer and more ethereal wines in the range. Layers of fruit caress the palate on the sweet, inviting finish. The openness and pure resonance in the 2010 are compelling. Anticipated maturity: 2013+. I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted at Fontaine-Gagnard. The 2010s are rich, deep and racy, but also show tremendous transparency with regards to site and have a little more polish than is customary. Celine Fontaine told me she was very surprised by the concentration of the wines given the poor weather during the summer, but that, ultimately, it was the small size of the berries that played a big role in giving the wines their personalities. The harvest started on September 21. All of the 2010s were bottled in August 2011. Although I did not taste any of the reds, Fontaine also told me a number of the estate’s Pinot vineyards were heavily affected by the December 2009 frost and required replanting. Importers: Polaner Selections, Mt. Kisco, NY; tel. (914) 244-0404, Jeffrey Wellburn Selections, Van Nuys, CA; tel. (818) 780-4446

Light, slightly reduced nose. Sweet start. Emphatic, almost floral nose with real concentration but not much finesse. Chunky. And, at the moment, this is a tad simple. (JR)