Michel Gros is best known for his brilliant red Burgundies from towns like Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle Musigny, and Nuits-St-Georges. But he also holds quite a bit of land in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, a patchwork of rolling hills to the west of the Côte d’Or.
His Hautes-Côtes reds here are excellent and exceed the reputation of their humble homeland. But the hilly terroir is also well suited to chardonnay, and home to Michel’s only white wine — Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Fontaine-St-Martin” blanc. This is a perennially underrated cuvée chez Gros, and a terrific value for those in on the secret.
The soil in this special plot is the same mix of marl, clay, and limestone found on the Hill of Corton, and Gros’s white echoes the famous floral and chalky qualities of Corton-Charlemagne. The 2021 is excellent, unwinding beautifully in the glass over a half hour. There’s gardenia and magno in the nose, with a vibrant mouth full of dry fruit and beautiful mineral tension. Jancis Robinson’s reviewer found it “impressive and classy.” Serve this blind and your guests will call Santenay or Chassagne.
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Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits blanc
“Fontaine-St-Martin” 2021
bottle price: $45