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$785
The 2002 Clos de Vougeot le Grand Maupertui Grand Cru, which comes from vines born in 1904, is endowed with darker fruit than the Grands-Echézeaux. Well-defined, maybe a little opulent in style, yet still controlled. The palate is well-endowed with dark berry fruit, more black than red, pain d’épice and white pepper. There’s plenty of substance and grip towards the finish. But it is always elegant and deserves 10-12 years in bottle. Excellent. Drink: 2030-2065
Neal Martin, Vinous 95-97 Points
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This wine may be characterised by its impressive fullness. Its power, sometimes a bit austere and monolithic, is tempered by ripe tannins.
Its weight moves across the tongue with lots of harmony and fullness, even a certain elegance underneath its romanesque character.
Velvet purple colour, it is the archetype of beautiful Pinot Noir. Pronounced aromas of black fruit (ripe cherry, plum and black current…) as well as spice (pepper, cloves, nutmeg…).
A candied element develops as it ages, in addition to complex secondary aromas associated with meaty nuances.
Possibilities for food pairing tend to lean toward richer dishes: roasted red meat with berries or fruit, red meat in sauce, game with sorrel…red currant jam, mild cheeses or nothing at all.
This wine has excellent ageing potential. Nevertheless, according to our believes about great wines, it is often possible to drink the wine while still young when the tannin and structure are at the forefront, essential qualities for balancing a great wine.
Ageing in barrels (40% new oak)
Parcel – Le Grand Maupertui
This 0.93 ha single block parcel was bequeathed by Louis Gros to his son François. It was planted in 1905.
In reality, the regularity of replanting makes the average age of the parcel 70 years old.
It is situated just underneath Grands Echezeaux in the locality of “le Grand Maupertui”.
We have revived the name of the locality given by the Citeaux monks and featured it on the label.
The etymology may come from “millepertuis”, a plant with yellow flowers used for its dermatology properties or, probably more likely, from “pertus”, which means “well” in Latin. Not that there was thought to be a well on this site, instead it refers to a gentle hollow in the landscape situated in the large breadth of the anticlinal valley of the Combe d’Orveau.
The latter hypothesis is more likely as there is another locality called “Petit Maupertui”. It is reinforced by a levy carried out in Clos Vougeot by the GEST (Organization of study and sustainment of terroirs). Here one observes the presence of deep clayey soil, with variable soil grain before reaching the larger rocks in comparison with other areas of the Clos.
The parcel slopes slightly offering excellent natural drainage and the surrounding wall of Clos Vougeot protects it from slow yet inevitable erosion. This gives us approximately 1,50 m at various levels between the road which joins Vosne with Château du Clos Vougeot.
Like so many estates in Burgundy the Gros family has over time been split, combined, added to etc. The family tree below helps put all of this into context.
Anne Gros, the only daughter of François Gros, has established a solid character and reputation in the wine world after taking over her father’s domaine in 1988.
At 25 years old, Anne grew the family domaine from 3 to 6.5 ha. Recently, she invested in a new cellar. She is a winegrower suspicious of certitude and fastidious about maintaining her freedom.
As a woman winegrower, Anne knew how to prove herself and convince all who doubted of her ability to manage a domaine. She showed that she had not only the shoulders but the head to make her family heritage one of the greatest domaines of Burgundy.
In 1984 she had to stop studying Arts to study viticulture and oenology in Beaune and Dijon. Now her passion for vine and wine as well as her talent, sensitivity and professionalism posit her as a winemaker to rely on.
Mother of three children, Anne spends all her time working at the Domaine and taking care of her family.
“Vine cultivation is extremely important and must be done in harmony with man and terroir(…) Pinot is a difficult varietal to cultivate, it is the most capricious but also the most fantastic.”
Concerned about practising a viticulture that is more respectful of man, vine and terroir, Anne Gros has taken a keen interest in biodynamic and organic viticulture. Though she believes this philosophy of cultivation is vital for the preservation of the terroir’s biodiversity, she refuses to categorize or label the domaine as such.
Her work in the vineyard consists especially of deliberate treatments (rational) according to need, ploughing the soil and using compost. It is integrated viticulture.
“I understand what each parcel is capable of in terms of quality, and I try to maintain the ideal number of bunches per vine stock.”
“The goal of the game is to obtain ripe and healthy grapes. I then strive to bring everything together while respecting the integrity of our grapes.” This philosophy is in keeping with a respect for tradition and a desire to innovate. Respecting the biodiversity of the terroir allows us to produce wines that are subtle, harmonious and elegant with good stuffing, viscosity and fruit.
Vinification is traditional at the domaine. In lined cement tanks for the reds and stainless steel tanks for the whites. The temperatures are controlled and adapted to the sanitary state of the raw material and the type of vintage. Fermentation lasts 12 to 15 days. The free-run juice and press juice are blended and settling lasts a minimum of 48 hours in order to eliminate the heavy lees.
At the domaine, barrel ageing takes place over approximately 16 months using a large percent of new oak: 80% for the grand crus, 50% for the village wines and 30% for the regional wines. This allows us to obtain a regular exchange of oxygen and wine as new wood is both a catalyst and a developer. It is what gives the wine aromatic complexity, weight and structure. Thanks to this alchemy, the expression of each different terroir in our wines is preserved and shown to its advantage.
“Anne Gros’ son Paul, along with his sister Julie, is progressively assuming more and more responsibility for the day-to-day operations, and he is the one with whom I did this year’s tasting. He was understandably especially proud to show off the new cuvée of Grands Echézeaux along with several other additions to existing appellations, including .18 ha of Echézeaux. His very brief take on the 2022 vintage was that “it gave us comfortable quantities with potential alcohols that ranged from 12.7 to 14%. We had no trouble with the vinifications and overall, I am extremely happy with the quality.” Can’t fault him for hyperbole.”
Allen Meadows, Burghound
Domaine Anne Gros is based in Vosne-Romanée with holdings in the Clos Vougeot, Echezeaux, and the famed Richebourg. She also holds a small parcel of La Combe d’Orveaux in Chambolle. Extending beyond Burgundy she has a JV with her husband Jean-Paul Tollot, of Domaine Tollot-Beaut fame in Minervois.
This is also quite spicy and even more aromatically restrained with its fresh nose of earthy red pinot fruit. The denser and even more powerful larger-bodied flavors deliver excellent length on the impressively long and very much built-to-age if decidedly austere finale that flirts with rusticity. This is a classic CV and one that should age accordingly. Drink: 2037+
The 2002 Clos de Vougeot le Grand Maupertui Grand Cru, which comes from vines born in 1904, is endowed with darker fruit than the Grands-Echézeaux. Well-defined, maybe a little opulent in style, yet still controlled. The palate is well-endowed with dark berry fruit, more black than red, pain d'épice and white pepper. There’s plenty of substance and grip towards the finish. But it is always elegant and deserves 10-12 years in bottle. Excellent.
Where in the world does the magic happen?
Domaine Anne Gros, Rue des Communes, Vosne-Romanée, France
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