Clos de Vougeot grand cru, Michel Gros 2022

Twice red winemaker of the year at the International Wine Challenge, Michel Gros is well known for his soft, densely structured wines. It is now his son Pierre at the helm who is taking a similarly analytical approach to his winemaking, after all, his first career was as a software engineer in Paris.

Domaine Michel Gros is one part of a family estate that dates from 1830 in Vosne-Romanée. One of the first to sell Vosne-Romanée wines in bottle, the Gros family’s 1858 vintage went for five francs per bottle! Through various family splits, Pierre and Michel have ended up with some excellent holdings in the village, including their wholly owned monopole Clos des Réas, bought in 1860 by their forebear, Alfonse Gros. Another speciality is in the Hautes-Côtes where Pierre’s grandfather, Jean, assembled plots of vines in the village of Arcenant, also known for its blackcurrants. The estate covers 23 ha, 3.5 ha of which are on a long-term lease from a family that chose Michel to safeguard their vines. There are several ‘Gros’ family domaines – all related – and between the others they have half a hectare of Richebourg, but Pierre and Michel hope to have access to some soon. Michel has always favoured high-toast oak but this has always integrated very well to give wines with gorgeous fruit and purity.