2009 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee

Domaine Michel Gros is a 47-acre domain in Vosne-Romanee. It is part of the former Louis Gros domaine, which was founded in the 19th century then split up in 1963 among three children in the family. In recent decades it has been further divided as adult children have inherited vineyards. This property officially went to Michel, the son of Jean Gros, in 1995, though he had been making the wine here for several decades before that. The estate makes Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, and has Premier Cru parcels in Vosne Romanee, including the monopole Clos des Reas, and Premier Cru parcels in Nuits Saint Georges. There are also villages wines. Clive Coates has written that the wines of Domaine Michel Gros “are very pure and very intense.."

Vosne-Romanée is the most prestigious appellation in Burgundy. Its 449 acres of vineyards are in and around the village of Vosne-Romanée and they include renowned Grand Cru vineyards which produce some of the world’s most coveted – and costly —wines. The Grands Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Romanée-Saint-Vivant and La Tâche. The Grand Crus Échezeaux and Grands- Échezeaux are actually located in the neighboring village of Flagey-Échezeaux, but legally they can be sold under the Vosne-Romanée appellation. There are also seventeen Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanée. Wine writer Clive Coates has called Vosne-Romanée “the greatest Pinot Noir village on earth” and notes that the appellation’s style “is for wines which are rich, austere, sensual, masculine and aristocratic.”

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.