The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits are a patchwork of vineyards in the hills just west of the famous Côte d’Or. The land is 100 meters higher and the grapes ripens about a week later. With rising temperatures and earlier harvests, this delay has become a real advantage, and the wines from the Hautes-Côtes get better each year.
Pierre Gros makes three excellent cuvées from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, offering all the polish and class of the rest of the Gros lineup, but with a much friendlier pricetag. Their 2022s from the Hautes-Côtes are outstanding – beautifully balanced with ripe dark fruit and fresh, mouthfilling textures. They age with ease, but they’re already hard to put down.
Gros’s base Hautes-Côtes de Nuits cuvée is terrific in 2022. It combines an earthy, toasty palate with an effortlessly silky mouthfeel. The nose shows plum, baked strawberry, licorice, and earth. The mouth is long and elegant, but with great density and persistence. Neal Martin found “an overtly floral nose…very aromatic…quite fleshy in style with a gentle grip.”
When the moment calls for Burgundy but you don’t want to pony up for Chambolle-Musigny, here’s a great option at less than half the price.
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Michel Gros Hautes-Côtes de Nuits 2022
bottle price: $39
