The 2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers is one of the highpoints of the portfolio this year, unwinding in the glass with scents of citrus oil, white flowers, green pear and oatmeal. Medium to full-bodied and elegantly textural but lively, it retains tension and grip in this warm vintage.

Aromas of Anjou pear, pastry cream, lime zest and white flowers introduce the 2017 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, a medium to full-bodied, satiny and elegant wine that's pure, lively and incisive, with a precise, floral finish. This is another cuvée with the structural tension to reward a few years' bottle age.

The 2016 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru les Vergers, cropped at 13 hectoliters per hectare, has a much more expressive and interesting bouquet compared to the Clos des Murées with lemon curd, spice and orange blossom that bursts from the glass. The palate is well balanced with good density and weight, the acidity well judged with a vibrant, almond-tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. Excellent—one of the finest from Fontaine-Gagnard this year and up there with their 2014.

The 2015 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru les Vergers was mute on the nose when I tasted it from barrel, clearly not coming out to play. The palate is balanced with a lightly honeyed entry, moderate depth but needing to show a little more nervosité towards the finish. Probably best enjoyed earlier rather than later unlike some of the other Chassagnes from the domaine. I would like to see more terroir expression develop.

The 2014 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru les Vergers has a composed bouquet with very well integrated new oak: cold stone, hazelnut and smoke lending a Meursault-like personality. The palate is full of energy on the entry with dried orange peel and nectarine notes, good weight in the mouth with a pleasing fresh ginger-tinged finish. You could not ask for much more from a Les Vergers.