Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Julie Tollot, daughter of Anne Gros, 03 June 2016.
Domaine Anne Gros
11 Rue des Communes
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 07 95
www.anne-gros.com
We were greeted by Anne Gros, but she took one look at the size of our party and said – “I think Julie can deal with you!”
Enter Julie Tollot who has been working at the domaine with her mum, Anne, since the 2013 vintage. Actually Julie was a lot of fun and made a great tasting.
Julie on 2015:
“2015 was a very warm vintage, particularly in the summer. But this has brought a lot of richness, particularly to the whites. The grape seeds were ripe and the sugar levels were high but it was sometimes complicated because the skins were still ‘green.’”
The wines…
Discussion of the 2016 vintage was painful here – 80% loss in Clos de Vougeot and Richebourg, 50% in Bourgogne and almost all the Chambolle was lost to the frost…
2015 Hautes Côtes de Nuits Blanc Cuvée Marine
All demi-muid elevage.
Round sweet, faintly powdered fruit. Round, lush, mineral, some freshness but I could do with more. Mineral finishing.
2015 Hautes Côtes de Nuits Rouge
A surprisingly modest colour – ‘It was dark before the malo so the colour obviously didn’t stabilise‘ A pretty, indeed vibrant, nose – inviting! Very floral flavour. This is a very tasty wine.
2015 Bourgogne Rouge
50-year-old-vines vines on the plain in deep soil. No loss of yield due to their deep roots.
Also a very floral nose, and the flavour too. A little more roundness and concentration here.
2015 Chambolle-Musigny La Combe
‘Maybe the best we ever made. Had problems with deer and now with badgers!’
The characteristic, family floral aroma. Lots of depth of flavour, high-toned, ripe but still floral toned and saline finishing.
2015 Echezeaux Les Loachoses
Didn’t suffer yield losses due to the drought here – lost lots in 2016, however…
So very floral. Lovely layers of flavour, more weight of flavour and more concentration too. Long, long, with faint licorice. This should end up a beauty.
2015 Richebourg
‘We waited but it still really preserved the fruit and flowers – we are very happy.’
Big and deep yet with the same floral characteristic as those before. Much more intensity, extra silk to the texture. Really it’s the finish that opens wider and wider and longer and longer that sets this wine apart.
Roussillon 2014s:
La Grenache 8
A deep note, a different floral character. Silky, nice depth, and really lots of fine layered flavour. This is lovely, indeed delicious…
Syrah L’Onde La Vie
Cooler nose, wide, good texture, a little spicy and faintly reductive perhaps, long…
50-50
Grenache, carignan and syrah
This nose is a little less interesting. In the mouth it’s fresh, a little tannin, nice growth of flavour, and quite some weight of finishing flavour too.
Les fontanilles
25% of each variety; the syrah and carignan is barrel elevage.
A nice nose here, rounder and inviting. Nice in the mouth, good freshness, a good flavour. There’s plenty of intensity, a big kick of finishing flavour too.
La Ciaude
80% barrel aged, some vines planted in 1903
A very pretty and wide nose, some barrel cushioning, Wide super silky with a mouth-leaching hint of barrel vanilla. Wide and long. Lovely and delicious finish, but I think I prefer the first, the pure grenache…