Wafting from the glass with aromas of pear, white flowers, beeswax and a light touch of reduction that might be derived from this sample bottle's Diam closure, the 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée is medium to full-bodied, layered and muscular. Underpinned by lively acids, this is the most complete and concentrated premier cru in the range this year.

The 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée is more reserved than the Caillerets, unfurling in the glass with notes of pear, crisp melon, white flowers, beeswax and crushed chalk. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, elegantly satiny and multidimensional, with lovely purity, a tight-knit core and a long, mineral finish.

The 2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée was reduced from six to three barrels in this vintage. It has a tightly wound, aloof, stony bouquet with touches of oyster shell and yellow flowers, well defined but needing more coaxing than the Caillerets. The palate is very well balanced with a fine line of acidity, although it does not quite possess the tension of the Caillerets at the moment and tapers in toward the finish. Fine, if not quite at the level of either La Boudriotte or Caillerets at this early juncture.

The 2015 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée has great precision and vitality on the nose, one of the most terroir-articulate offerings by the domaine in this vintage. This is easily the best aromatics within Fontaine-Gagnard's Chassagnes. The palate is very lively with crisp acidity, full of tension with a brisk, mineral-driven finish. You can just feel the energy bouncing off the tastebuds here, a superb wine in the making, especially given that this was never supposed to be a great white Burgundy vintage à la 2014.

The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru la Romanée was showing more fruit intensity than the Caillerets when I tasted it from barrel, hints of citrus peel, Mirabelle and jasmine gently wafting from the glass. The palate is crisp and taut with the edginess of the Boudriotte, demonstrating the same weight and intensity on the finish that is long and satisfying. This is a harmonious, engaging and “complete” Chassagne-Montrachet.