Tasted in Beaune with Caroline Parent-Gros, 08 November 2022.
Domaine AF Gros
16 Rue Pierre Joigneaux
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 61 26
www.af-gros.com
More reports for AF Gros.
Caroline on 2022:
“A good volume – a little less Réas as we have pulled out a large part the vines – they were only 15 years old but we had so many problems with replacements…”
Caroline on 2021:
“About 60% less than usual and is the smallest volume since the creation of the domaine – frost of course – but a large part was an attack of oïdium in July. Some of the places we had just 5 barrels instead of 35 barrels! But for the wines themselves, we are happy and we’ve been slowly increasing the amount of whole clusters in our fermentations in the last vintages – apart from a couple of wines. There was no Fontaine or Maizières. The small amount of grapes from Chanlins went into the Bourgogne. The malos are late too – a few are not yet done. The majority of the wines have seen a little less new oak we punched down only at the end of the fermentation to make sure that all the sugar was used.”
The wines…
These wines were no in an easy phase to taste but their perfumed character shone through – occasionally some smoky oak too but that will quickly fade. I think many excellent wines…
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Only 10-year-old vines, but ‘a good selection with small grapes.’
A smoky, faintly reductive nose but growing with perfume. Mouth-filling, here is energy and complexity. Really full of perfumed flavour, slowly more mineral in the direction of the finish. Hmm – perfumed through and through. Lovely wine.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny
5 small parcels.
No smoke here – certainly perfumed wine – interesting and inviting. Structural, mouth-watering, lovely texture with a modest cushion but intense and quite broad – lots of finishing complexity and a nice finishing perfume again – lovely wine!
2021 Vosne-Romanée Chalandins
Other side of the wall from the Clos de Vougeot
Again very perfumed – but a different perfume – as it should be. More direct, lovely silk here. A sneaky extra depth to this flavour. An almost sparkly complexity to this finishing flavour – ohh that’s simply excellent! And so long
2021 Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas
A little more wc for this one
More depth of aroma – a little less perfume but here is more spice. Gassy today, Slowly spreading out over the palate the texture is good and the balance fine – even showing some depth of concentration here. In the finish is a burst of extra flavour – really lovely a completely new direction from this wine – I find the previous more complete today but this has as much to offer.
No wc here
This wine is currently in a more reductive phase – swirling bringing more clarity and more floral perfume. More direct, beautifully detailed – a wine with finesse – porcelain wine! Just a beautiful thing, even an extra finishing salinity. Gorgeous and bravo!
2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune Clos des Guettes
Just about the only vines with a normal harvest – no frost as they were later to open.
An easy width of aromatic fruit. Plenty of gas today, Nice shape, the tannin is visible but hardly with any grain. Only in the finish does this wine start to respond, to communicate and offer plenty of interest before that, it’s a little compact. The finish is lovely – give it a little time, all will be there…
2021 Pommard 1er Pezerolles
Old-vines a parcel of 80 years and another of 60. Here with some wc
Hmm – another fine and perfumed nose – such an invitation. A wine that’s direct sleek is incisive. Long, muscular wine – wiry & athletic – impressive but for keeping a while.
2021 Pommard 1er Les Arvelets
Broad and perfumed aromas once more. Here a wine that has fine purity and an inner density – almost a creamy extra to these flavours – not a wine of power but one of proper concentration and very fine balance. Broad, brilliantly finishing flavours – two Pommards but 2 different worlds!
2021 Echézeaux
Champs Traversins – Can be 5 barrels here but only 2 in this vintage
The nose has width but is a little shy to start, pretty red fruits only. Also in the mouth, red fruit and some gas but a wine that slowly winds around your tongue, becoming more silky as the gas fades and even showing a little textural cushion. It’s in the finish where the class starts to show, widening, showing more complexity – but a wine for keeping – wait at least 5 years, better 10!
2021 Richebourg
Not a nose of power here but one of impressive perfume – again! Here is a little more density – but fine shape – very fine tannin too – small grain but not with astringency. And of course impressively long. Certainly an understated Richebourg today but with a presence and a haunting finish. This will be super wine!