Seeing the name “Gros” on a wine label means something: Few other families in Burgundy can match the reputation and quality that an assortment of Gros’ achieve year after year. Today we’re back at Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur, with a seriously over-achieving red from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits—a lesser-known hillside appellation that flanks the western higher elevations of Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges.
When I was at the domaine last year, we tasted through their 2015s and they are all stunning, with this wine standing out for the incredible value-for-dollar it delivers. Gros Frère’s ’15s are intense, concentrated, and multi-layered while maintaining the composure we all crave in the best Côte de Nuits reds. We can attribute this concentration to the long and warm 2015 vintage, sure, but out of the four Gros domaines, Gros Frère et Soeur often shows the most power and intensity. This applies to their entire lineup, from today’s warmly priced wine all the way up to their Grand Cru bottlings of Richebourg, Echezeaux, and Vougeot. And while the typical image of ‘Hautes-Côtes’ wines is pretty and perfumed, with more grip than lower on the slope, this one is silky smooth—performing like village-level Vosne at a fraction of the price. We secured enough for you to stock up, and I encourage you to do so; after you taste the first bottle you will wish you had a case.
Warning: A complicated family tree lies ahead, proceed at your own risk. The Gros family arrived in Vosne-Romanée in the 1830s and have since created a winemaking dynasty in Burgundy. Gros Frère et Soeur was created in 1963 when brother and sister (frère et soeur) Gustave/Colette inherited land after their father’s Domaine Gros-Renaudot was split up among his four sons and daughters (thanks to Napoleon I decreeing that estates must be equally split among the owner’s children). A further subdivision occured when Gustave and Colette’s brother, Jean Gros, divvied up his holdings between his own offspring, Michel Gros, Anne-Françoise Gros (not to be confused with famed Anne Gros, who is their cousin), and Bernard Gros. Instead of forming his own domaine, Bernard Gros took over for Uncle Gustave at Gros Frère et Soeur when he passed away in 1984. Bernard represents the sixth generation of Gros winemakers and today, his son Vincent—who holds an enology degree—joins his side.
Bernard and Vincent oversee nine hectares of Pinot Noir vines up in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits hamlet of Concœur-et-Corboin. Here, elevations can reach upwards of 1,300 feet, but we are still only a few miles from both the centers of Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Soils are the classic limestone-clay blend and Gros Frère et Soeur farms ‘lutte raisonnée’ with a steady eye towards ripening—they drastically restrict yields and pruning is done to an almost neurotic extent in order to achieve the greatest levels of ripeness and concentration. In the winery, the grapes ferment in concrete vats and age in partial new French oak. The wine is lightly fined and always bottled unfiltered.
In the glass, Gros Frère’s ’15 Hautes-Côtes de Nuits brazenly shows off its intensity with a dense, opaque dark ruby core leading out to reflections of bright pink at the rim. Its aromas are immensely intense for an “entry level” red Burgundy, with perfumed notes of ripe wild strawberry, raspberry pastry, and black cherry liqueur followed by red and purple flowers. A mixed bag of wild herbs, crushed rock, and various baking spices round out the expressive nose. On the palate, the fruit is full, bright, and round, without excessive weight, and with a lifted touch of acidity lending exuberance. It’s a “need-to-drink-now” wine, only because it’s too darn delicious to keep your hands off. Allow a quick 20-30 minute decant and let the wine open up in a large Burgundy stem as you consume it over a two hour period. For those who purchase larger quantities, drink a few bottles in 2018 and revisit over the next 3-5 years (it will provide you with a decade of life, if aged properly!). I think this deserves a rich game dish that will match its power—beef bourguignon? Not this time, try it with venison instead. You’ll be thrilled with the results, I promise you that. Cheers!
