The “Michel” of Gros fame is now fully retired – or, at least, as fully retired as a winemaker can be with 45 vintages under his belt, a house nearby, and his name on the label. His son Pierre has taken the reins, representing, in Neal Martin’s words, “a change in tack rather than charting a totally different course.” Like many of his peer group Pierre has moved the domaine toward organics, and if his first few vintages at the helm are any indication, the future at Gros may be even brighter than the past.
Pierre represents the seventh generation of Gros winemakers to run the domaine, and the Gros family has lived in the same house in the center of Vosne-Romanée since 1830. Plenty has changed since then – phylloxera, war, occupation, market swings – but for centuries the Gros vignerons have tended their vines and each year produced excellent wine. Pierre now commands what Neal Martin describes as “a portfolio to be reckoned with.” A full lineup of his terrific 2022s are in stock now.
Gros’s humble Bourgogne Côte d’Or may cost a fraction of their famous Richebourg cuvée, but it’s a terrific value and a great representation of the domaine’s style. Fully destemmed and in barrel for 18 months, the vines come from just outside Vosne-Romanée. It’s middleweight and pretty, with red currants and violets in the nose; the mouth has mild tannins and a pleasant earthy and floral finish. This year Burghound found “good vibrancy and detail,” and Neal Martin called it “quite fleshy and dense.”
It drinks effortlessly from the start, and however much we set aside for ourselves, we always wish it were more.
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Michel Gros Bourgogne Côte d’Or 2022
bottle price: $36
