The Côte d’Or produces nearly all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. It’s split into the Côte de Nuits (famous for its reds), and the Côte de Beaune (famous for its whites); if you’ve got an expensive, ageworthy Burgundy, it’s almost certainly from the Côte d’Or.
The neighboring towns of Nuits-St-Georges and Vosne-Romanée produce strikingly different wines. In general, Vosne is elegant and ethereal; Nuits is bold and muscly. Taste them side by side and it’s hard to believe they share a border.
Winemakers here in Burgundy are breathing a bit easier these days. Last week’s damaging frosts notwithstanding, cellars here are fuller than we’ve seen them in some time. In fact there’s even talk of the 2018 vintage (currently in barrel) as a “grand millesime.”
The Côte de Nuits is a narrow band of vineyards stretching from Beaune to Dijon. Perched along the slope of an east-facing hill, this famous strip of vines produces many of the world’s priciest and most sought-after red wines.
Burgundy doesn’t have to be expensive or ageworthy to be delicious. A talented winemaker with excellent terroir can make terrific wine miles from the main drag, and today’s wine is a perfect example.
Michel Gros appears on many lists of Burgundy’s finest winemakers. His style is smooth and elegant, with warm, enticing notes of toast, red berries, and a silky texture. Gros’s village level and premier cru wines can be truly extraordinary, but they require (and reward) investment and patience.
The Clos de Vougeot is a 900-year-old Grand Cru vineyard in the heart of Burgundy. It’s the largest Grand Cru in the region, and certainly the most famous. Over nine centuries of growing seasons, it has seen kings and countries rise and fall.
No, that’s not a vintage typo in the subject line. We’ve just called up our small collection of 2005 Gros Burgundies from our offsite warehouse. Purchased back in 2007, and they’ve rested quietly under temperature control for over a decade. Today we’re bringing them out of their slumber to pass them along to you.
Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges are neighbors with opposing characters. Vosne tends towards elegance, finesse, and spice; Nuits towards richness, more structure, and bolder flavors. In the hands of a talented winemaker, both can be superb.
Our final Futures issue of the year comes out next week. It includes some of our most popular winemakers -- Goubert, Boyer-Martenot, Desvignes, and more -- but one favorite in particular: the Domaine Michel Gros. His entire lineup of 2016s will be available next Sunday, but today we’re focusing on one wine that is always in short supply.
We usually go to the Domaine Pierre Amiot for our Morey-St-Denis. Amiot has fantastic properties around the town, and when the vintage and maturity line up they can be exceptionally fine. But today’s suggestion comes from Amiot’s childhood friend and schoolmate, Michel Gros.
We are hardly alone in our enthusiasm for the 2015 red Burgundies. The hype began even before the harvest, and critics now consider it one of the finest vintages in recent memory.
Michel Gros is as much a part of Vosne-Romanée as its pointed steeple, its ancient vineyards, and its narrow crooked streets. He is a lifelong resident of the town, as were his father and grandfather before him -- his mother was even mayor. The Gros family name has been synonymous with Vosne-Romanee for centuries.
Yesterday afternoon we visited Michel Gros, our best known winemaker for Côte de Nuits reds. We barrel-tasted his 2016s, which are exceptionally good -- this vintage will be far better than critics’ early predictions. At the end of a long tasting, Michel poured us tastes of his only white wine, from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, in both 2015 and 2016.
Much like Volnay and Pommard we wrote about recently, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St-Georges are neighboring towns with opposing characters. Vosne tends towards elegance, finesse, and spice; Nuits towards richness, more structure, and bolder flavors. In the hands of a talented winemaker, both can be superb.