Hautes Côtes De Nuits, Fontaine Saint Martin Rouge, Domaine Michel Gros, 2020

The Gros family have been a dominant presence in Vosne-Romanée since 1830 and Michel, alongside sisters Anne and Anne-Francoise and brother Bernard, all of whom have eponymous domaines, represents the sixth generation. The jewel in Michel’s crown is the 2.12ha Clos des Réas, the only Premier Cru monopole in Vosne Romanée, owned by the family since 1860, a few metres from La Tache. Low yields, hand picking, total destemming and minimal racking are factors in the resultant style of Michel’s wines.
“The rest of the Monopole vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir which was first produced in 2014. Typically more intense, dark and tough to coax out at this tender age, there is lovely balance of freshness and concentration of fruit. This is dense and dark fruited with tightly knit tannins which will no doubt soften with a bit of time. Epitomises the style of the vintage. Nick Daniell, Club Wine Buyer