In the last few years Michel Gros’s son Pierre has taken over as principal winemaker at the family domaine. His winemaking style is so far indistinguishable from his father’s, and we can’t blame him. Given Michel’s stellar reputation and 45 vintages of experience, we’ll give Pierre credit for seeking wise counsel.
Whoever’s calling the shots, the 2021s from Gros are an unmitigated triumph, and even more impressive given the difficult vintage. Abundant rain and a cooler summer produced wines with less concentration than the last few scorching hot years – a welcome relief from the chewy, syrah-like Pinots of recent memory. Across the board Gros’s 2021s are elegant, refined, and middle weight, with subtly extracted tannins and beautiful length.
Their lighter touch has meant they’re more charming young than we expected. We opened this village level Chambolle a few months ago at the warehouse and it was strikingly good. Drawn mostly from a plot abutting Musigny Grand Cru, this overperforms it’s village-level billing by a mile.
Neal Martin of Vinous found “an enticing nose with pressed violet and iris,” with “supple tannins, velvety smooth, and fine depth.” This is always a top cuvée at Gros and the 2021 is no different. It’s elegant and classy, full of tension, precision, and the domaine’s signature smoky polish. We think the 2021s will age a decade with ease, but it’s already a tremendous glass of red Burgundy today.
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Gros Chambolle-Musigny 2021
bottle price: $135
