2018 Volnay 1er Cru Champans, Domaine Blain-Gagnard

With vineyards on many of Chassagne-Montrachet’s greatest, most famous hillsides, Jean-Marc and Claudine Blain’s Domaine is one of Burgundy’s finest white wine estates. In addition, their reds are consistently stand-outs for delicious, fairly-priced red Burgundy.

Minimal intervention is key to the Blain-Gagnard wine-making style. New oak barrels are used imperceptibly – being subtly spread amongst the different cuvées so that oakiness is never noticed. White wines are consistently bottled after no more than 11- or 12-months’ barrel-ageing, ensuring that maximum freshness is retained. The finished wines have purity, with impressive fruit richness and harmonious length, while accurately evoking their origins.