2021 Bourgogne Côte d’Or

There is a change of guard at this Vosne-Romanée address as Pierre Gros takes the reins from his father, Michel. “I didn’t intend to come back to the domaine,” he tells me in fluent English, honed whilst working in Canary Wharf, London. “I studied engineering in Paris, though I did a degree in viticulture whilst working. Two years ago, Michel was still working full-time with me, but now he is part-time. Now I am more in charge.”

There has been a shuffling of vineyards between assorted members of the Gros family with some quite significant holdings. “In 2022, we got back some vineyards, including Echézeaux and Richebourg from a fermage with Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur that is ending. In fact, my father produced the Richebourg until the mid-nineties.” This basically means that each member of the Gros family will have a roughly equal portion of Richebourg – Domaine Michel Gros, Anne Gros, A.F. Gros and Domaine Gros Frères & Soeur.

“The 2021 vintage was very different. In terms of ageing and vinification, there has been no drastic change. It was a difficult season, especially at the end of May and June when there was a lot of rain. In the Côte de Nuits, we managed to keep the vineyards fairly clean of oïdium with no rot. In the Hautes-Côtes, there was no damage from the frost as the vines were still undeveloped. There was a second wave of frost that affected the vineyards in the lower reaches of the Hautes-Côtes. We began picking on 19 September in the Côte de Nuits and ten days later in the Hautes-Côtes, finishing on 3 October. The vinification was normal, the level of alcohol sufficiently high enough not to chaptalize, and we did not have to use the concentrator. The last time we really used it was in 2017, and I think we’ll use it less and less. It’s only when we can see there is some kind of dilution. We will bottle two years after harvest in August 2023. I want to maintain the longer ageing of 18 months in oak.”