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.”
Gros’s 2023s are terrific, and like many wines from the vintage, astonishingly accessible young. Gros’s Bourgogne Côte d’Or comes from vines outside Vosne-Romanée and dramatically outperforms its humble appellation. It’s middleweight and veyr pretty, with red currants and violets in the nose; the mouth has mild tannins and a pleasant earthy and floral finish. Burghound found it “quite aromatically pretty,” with a mouthfeel that’s “supple, succulent, and round.” 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 2023
bottle price: $39
