Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Pierre Gros, 19 October 2022.
Domaine Michel Gros
7 Rue des Communes
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 04 69
www.domaine-michel-gros.com
More reports with Domaine Michel Gros
Pierre on 2021:
Pierre is planning summer bottlings for his 2021s; “It’s always 18 months elevage here, for the regional with 6 months in foudres of 40-50 hl size. Of course, we don’t have 14° we have 12.5 to 13° but the wines are properly put together, they remind me of 2017 in terms of their ease of drinking but still with good concentration.”
The wines…
I clearly tasted here a little early in the elevage – the wines not expressing themselves to the full – but there is fine baseline here – I think my comments will turn out to be very conservative.
There’s also the white Haute Côte de Nuits – but it wasn’t tasted as the malo was not yet complete:
2021 Hautes Côtes de Nuits
An assembly cuvée – “In 21 the frost wasn’t so bad here but the maladies were.”
Plenty of colour. A bit of reduction is making the fruit seem darker but there’s plenty of energy here. Mouthfilling, good energy again, nicely textured, framed with some tannin but quite fine-grained and with lots of material.
2021 Bourgogne Côte d’Or
In the commune of Vosne for this.
Ooh, that’s bright, has good direction and a super pure fruit nose. Silky, broad, lithe, lots of flavour energy again, with good intensity. Keep a while, I think, but this has fine material.
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Au Vallon
Another in a series of well-coloured wines. Darker, almost suggesting a faint reduction but becoming ever more precise with air. Broad, fresh, cool fruit – a little tannic grain so keep a while in the cellar but in 3 years, or so, this will make a lovely, quite fresh bottle.
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Fontaine Saint Martin
The domaine’s 7 ha monopole – 4 ha of pinot, 3 of chardonnay.
Also slightly reductive but you can see the redder fruit here with fine cooking herbs as accents. Direct, vibrant acidity, and lots of energy, the tannin frames this wine but finer and less obvious than previous Au Vallon. Given the acidity I might be tempted to drink this a little younger but the finish is fine, red and perfumed. Yum! The last drops lose the reduction and show much more floral perfume.
2021 Nuits St.Georges
From 4 Vosne-side parcels three are down-slope plus a higher one
Open, quite airy and attractive, faint spice notes too. Silky again, freshness a modest framing with ultra-fine tannin. Mobile flavour in the finish which is a little saline. This will be a good one.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Platière
A saline, almost earthy width to this interesting, slightly spiced, wine. A broader palate, more comfortable over the palate too – the tannin is present but less visible.
2021 Nuits St.Georges Les Chaillots
Just under 1er Poirets, the name relates to the flints in the soil – very rare in the côtes. ‘This sector, like the Clos de Vougeot, suffered much less in 2021.’
Nicely, faintly, oak-spiced. Also floral – that’s a great combination. Properly shaped, growing with a velvet tannin but cool, delicious darker fruit too. Wait 3-5 years for this but all is well in place the finish already quote juicy!
2021 Morey St.Denis En la rue de Vergy
Perfumed and a little smoky. CO2, broad flavour, concentrated, almost a little rose flavour but all is destemmed here. Clean, easy finishing. It will be very good!
2021 Vosne-Romanée
From three parcels; a large part from Reas. Rivière is tiny and a bit more from Colombière – about 1 hectare.
Attractive, wide aroma, very inviting darker fruit and spice. Mouth-filling – not just energy, flavour energy too. A slight dryness of tannin so wait 2 years to start with but the density, freshness and fine flavour make this a very good wine!
2021 Chambolle-Musigny
Three parcels at the bottom of the slope plus Argillieres next to Musigny but north facing.
Yes – cliche elegant perfume here – lovely. Some gas today but still open, fresh, mouth-watering flavour slowly growing in intensity and even a small frame of tannin too. Again, keep a couple of years before approaching this but it’s proper Chambolle. The finish is one of the more impressive ones here.
2021 Nuits St.Georges 1er Cru
From Murgers and Vignes Rondes – this assembly made each year.
Hmm, that’s also a very lovely nose with plenty of attractive perfume. Direct, cool fruit, modest tannin, really mouth-watering almost juicy. Another wine with a very good finish too.
2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Brûlées
Vines that sit near Richebourg.
This nose is more shy but seems very fine, faintly oak-smoked but perfumed too. Mouth-filling, mouth-watering, here is a wine that’s fresh, and concentrated but not at all fat. Faintly tannic but almost without grain. To keep a while but you will be rewarded – wait 5 years. Beautiful finishing flavour despite a little tannin. Potentially excellent wine.
2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Clos des Réas
It’s over 160 years that the family have Clos de Réas!
Again, oak spice and smoke but mixed with good freshness and becoming floral too. Gas. Sinuous, fluid, and a little tannin. This is another small step up – it’s going to be excellent. The finish with extra energy.
2021 Clos de Vougeot
All new oak here.
Obviously oak-spiced and modestly smoky. I like the shape of this though it doesn’t fill the mouth so much today. But the finish is impressively wide and long. A wine that needs plenty more elevage and will also require some patience in your cellar – 10-12 years would be a great starting point…