2005 Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur Echezeaux

Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur is part of a family dynasty in the Cotes de Nuits that goes back to 1830, when Alphonse Gros settled in Vosne-Romanee with his new wife. Many generations later, the estate is now divided among three siblings, Michel, Bernard and Anne Gros. Domaine Gros Frere et Soeur is managed by Bernard and it includes a total of 20.6 acres. There are important parcels in Richebourg, Grands-Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot. Like his siblings, Bernard is known as a consummate viticulturalist. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Bernard’s wines “are among the most extraordinarily exotic, hedonistic wines produced in all of Burgundy….I often wonder what miracles occur in his cellars to produce wines with such incredible bouquets of oranges, raspberries and apricots.”

Echezeaux is a 93-acre Grand Cru vineyard on the southern edge of the Cote de Nuits. It up the slope from Clos de Vougeot and Grands Echezeaux and is one of the largest grand crus in Burgundy. The vineyard varies in elevation from 250 to 300 meters, and the terroir includes significant clay as well as thin, rocky soil. The largest proprietors are Domaine de la Romanee Conti, with 11.68 acres; Mongeard-Mugneret with 6.25 acres, and Emmanuel-Rouget, with 3.58 acres. Echezeaux produces red wine.

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.