Domaine A.F. Gros

18 Apr Domaine A.F. Gros

winery: Domaine A.F. Gros (Anne-Françoise)
region: Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, Burgundy
grape: Pinot Noir

the Domaine
Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros was created in 1988 when her father, Jean Gros, retired and divided his property between Anne-Françoise and her brothers Michel and Bernard. Anne-Françoise and her husband François Parent combined their vineyard holdings, where he is the winemaker – a 13th generation winemaker (!) Today, muitple family members own several vineyards, and they all make fabulous wines. Anne-Françoise Gros is not to be confused with her sister Anne Gros – who is also a rockstar winemaker!

the labels
Because there was some confusion over the wines made by sisters Anne and Anne-Françoise, the latter decided to distinguish her label with various chalk portraits done by artist Marie-Paule Deville-Chabrolle. These beautiful faces are not of one single woman, rather they are a interpreted compilation of all of the women in the family: the three sisters Anne-Françoise, Anne and Rosalie, their mother, and AF’s daughter Caroline.

the wine
This 2012 Pinot Noir is from the Burgundian appellation of Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. The vineyard sits on top of a plateau that overlooks the very prestigious Côtes de Nuits, where some of the world’s most expensive wines are made. Anne-Françoise and husband François craft their wines: there is no pesticide use and after the grapes are hand-harvested they are brought to the winery within 20 minutes in small bins (where the weight of the grape bunches doesn’t crush itself) to be sorted for winemaking.

The wine is aged for 12 months in 50% new heavily toasted French oak barrels. (Their premium wines spend more time on newer oak: the Premier Cru wines age for 15 months on 65% new oak and the Grand Cru wines are for 18 months on 100% new oak.)

tasting notes
“A ripe, fresh and very pretty nose offers up notes of both red and dark berries along with subtle spice hints. There is good energy and solid phenolic maturity in the context of the appellation, all wrapped in a nicely concentrated, balanced and lightly mineral-inflected finish.” ~ Allen Meadows, Burghound