| Very
few families in Burgundy have the cachet of the Gros
clan;
Anne-Françoise is the third generation to estate-bottle
her production. Granddaughter of Gustave Gros, and daughter
of Jean and Jeanine, perhaps Vosne-Romanée’s most
famous vignerons (or winemakers), Anne-Françoise
Gros and her brother Michel had the good fortune of dividing
their inheritance amicably.
The resulting collection of villages (or village wines)
Vosne-Romanée
from the lieu-dits (or vineyards) of aux Réas and Maizières
are complemented by the Grands Crus Echezeaux and Richebourg,
as well as holdings in Chambolle and Savigny.
Readily
admitting that she prefers marketing and sales to
winemaking,
she had the double good fortune to marry the handsome
François Parent of Domaine Parent in Pommard.
Together they have renovated cellars and offices
just
outside the walls of Beaune from which they manage
the affairs of their considerable estates. François
Parent manages the vineyards and makes the wines
for
both Domaine A-F Gros, as well as his own new Domaine
François Parent (the result of an inheritance
battle with his sisters and available beginning
with
the 1998 Vintage).
Strict
pruning and a crop-thinning vendange verte (or
green harvest) keep yields low (the Richebourg
in 1996 yielded only 25 hl/ha),
while 100% destemming and a three-day cold maceration
preserve the fruit intensity. The cuvaison (or
skin fermentation) is shorter
than some (15 days) but François takes chances
to extract the maximum from his fruit by vinifying
at
high temperatures, allowing the fermentation to go
to 34°C. The wines are raised in four different
types of oak with three different levels of toast
to add complexity,
structure, and seasoning to the wines "like
the spices of a good chef", notes François.
Aging in barrels for 12 to 18 months, all the wines
are racked three times and bottled without fining or
filtering. While the villages (or village
wines) wines see up to 50% new
oak, the grand crus get the benefit of 100% new
barrels. Their concentration and constitution can
support
it
in most vintages according to François.
In
spite of being made by a Côte de Beaunoise,
the wines of Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros
retain their typicité (or character).
Elegant fruit, depth and power, a velvety texture,
and a remarkable
capacity to age
all combine to make a father (and father-in-law)
proud. The 1999 Vintage is no exception, with
low yields and
minimal intervention allowing the wines to express
precocious fruit and supple, charming structure.
Not necessarily
vins de garde (or wines for aging), but rich, intense,
and satisfying Burgundies for drinking over the
next five to
ten years.
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