2009 Domaine Michel Gros Chambolle-Musigny

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.."

Côte de Nuits is the northern part of the Côte d’Or and it includes the most famous vineyards and wine communes in the world. There are more Grand Cru appellations in the Côte de Nuits than anywhere else in Burgundy. Of the fourteen communes, or villages in the Côte de Nuits, six produce Grand Cru wines. They are Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St.-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Échezeaux and Vosne-Romanee. Some of the vineyards within the Côte de Nuits are tiny, which adds to their prestige. The fabled Grand Cru vineyard La Romanee is barely two square acres. Altogether there are twenty-four Grand Cru vineyards. The region takes its name from the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Côtes de Nuits produces mostly reds from Pinot Noir, and the wines have been in demand for centuries. During the 18th century King Louis XIV’s physician recommended that for his health the king only drink wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges. Like most of Burgundy, the soils of the Côte de Nuit can vary greatly from one vineyard to another, though most are a base soil of limestone mixed with clay, gravel and sand.

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.