Michel Gros

History of Domaine Michel Gros

The history of Domaine Michel Gros has its roots in 1830, when the first member of the Gros family settled in Vosne-Romanée and founded his estate. In 1860, Alphonse Gros acquired the famous Clos des Réas, a Premier Cru monopole of Vosne-Romanée, which would thereafter become the emblematic jewel of the house. Subsequent generations would never cease to enrich the vineyard holdings, gradually expanding the estate until it reached its current 23 hectares, spread across the most prestigious villages of the Côte de Nuits.

Michel Gros, the eldest of the famous Gros siblings (alongside Anne-Françoise and Bernard, who each run their own estate), took over the property in 1979 with two hectares in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, of which he would become one of the pioneers of the modern renaissance. Under his leadership, the estate developed and regularly featured in specialist guides. In 2019, Pierre Gros, Michel's son, chose to devote himself fully to the family estate and took over the running of the property. Representing the seventh generation of this dynasty of winegrowers, he continues with rigour and passion the work undertaken by his ancestors, mastering every stage of production, from the vines to bottling.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Michel Gros

The vineyard of Domaine Michel Gros covers 23 hectares located exclusively on the Côte de Nuits, in the most prestigious appellations of Burgundy: Vosne-Romanée, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (Clos des Réas as a monopole and Aux Brûlées), Nuits-Saint-Georges, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Bourgogne Côte d'Or and Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, with in particular the lieu-dit Fontaine Saint-Martin across seven hectares.

The jewel of the estate remains the Clos des Réas, a family monopole of 2.12 hectares of which the Gros family has been the sole owner since 1860. The climat is distinguished by a particular soil of salmon-veined Oligocene marl with an unusual presence of limestone blocks, ensuring excellent drainage. The plots encompass a great diversity of soils, ranging from classic clay-limestone terrain to deep marls, sandy filtering soils on the Nuits-Saint-Georges side, and oolitic limestone at the top of the hillsides. The vines, meticulously tended, are managed in accordance with Burgundian traditions and respect for the environment.

Winemaking at Domaine Michel Gros

In the cellar, Domaine Michel Gros applies a rigorous and consistent winemaking approach across all its cuvées, from the regional Bourgogne to the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, ensuring a high degree of stylistic coherence. The harvests are entirely manual, followed by a strict plot-by-plot sorting at the winery. Fermentations take place in temperature-controlled vats, at temperatures capped at around 30°C, in order to preserve aromatic finesse and the purity of the fruit.

Ageing in oak barrels extends over eighteen months, with a measured proportion of new wood, around 20% on average, rising to 50% for the Clos des Réas and the Clos de Vougeot. The Bourgogne and the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits benefit from a particular feature: they spend the first six months in large casks, which provide ideal oxygenation without marking the wines. The blending of the entry-level cuvées takes place in April. The constant objective is to let the terroir speak, in a classic, elegant style that is at once juicy and mineral, built for ageing.

The Cuvées of Domaine Michel Gros

Bourgogne Côte d'Or: the estate's entry-level wine, this red Bourgogne offers ripe strawberry, a silky and crunchy palate, a perfect reflection of the house style.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Rouge: Pinot Noir from the hillside plots situated on the plateau above the Côte de Nuits. More concentrated and fleshy, it reveals aromas of raspberry, ripe tannins and a generous texture.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Fontaine Saint-Martin Rouge: a monopole cuvée from a magnificent seven-hectare vineyard on the lieu-dit Fontaine Saint-Martin. Deep colour, nose of cherry, cinnamon and soft spices, a full and structured palate with a saline finish.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Fontaine Saint-Martin Blanc: the estate's only white wine, this Chardonnay from the Fontaine Saint-Martin monopole captivates with its freshness, its notes of citrus and white flowers, and its refined balance. A technical particularity: one day of skin maceration before fermentation to gain in colour and palate volume.

Morey-Saint-Denis En la Rue de Vergy: Pinot Noir from a village-level plot located just upstream from three Grands Crus of Morey. A confidential production, this wine offers a precise, clear, delicate and elegant Pinot Noir.

Chambolle-Musigny: a village-level Pinot Noir from a plot bordering the Grand Cru Le Musigny. The wine stands out for its depth and intensity, closer to a Premier Cru than a village wine. Floral aromatics, a refined palate, best enjoyed after ageing for a few years.

Nuits-Saint-Georges (village): a blended cuvée from four plots situated to the north of Nuits, on the Vosne side. The wine achieves a synthesis between the typical structure of Nuits and the elegance characteristic of Vosne-Romanée, in a style that is at once full-bodied, round and refined, marked by raspberry and toasted oak.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Chaliots: a single-plot cuvée from a climat situated at the heart of the appellation. More classical in the Nuits profile, this wine deploys a powerful texture, deep notes of black fruits, firm tannins and a young, ample palate built for ageing.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru: a Premier Cru produced in very small quantities from very old vines. This wine is distinguished by its natural millerandage, which yields berries of rare density, and offers remarkable aromatic intensity and longevity.

Vosne-Romanée (village): a blend of four plots on the Vosne-Romanée side, the finest climates of which extend the Premier Crus Les Lavières and Bas de Combe. Deep colour, smoky and lightly oaked nose, taut and fresh palate, present minerality, well-integrated but silky tannins, beautiful length.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées: a Premier Cru neighbouring the Grand Cru Richebourg. This full-bodied cuvée captivates with its aromas of bramble, flowers and intense red fruits, its concentrated and powerful texture, and its distinguished elegance. A great signature of the estate.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Clos des Réas: the estate's emblematic monopole since 1860, neighbour of the legendary La Tâche. Across 2.12 hectares enclosed by walls, this wine unfolds a finely chiselled and tender nose, with notes of red cherry, minerality and floral nuances. The palate is fresh, taut and mineral on the finish, carried by refined tannins and subtle oak (50% new barrels). A cuvée built to age 10 to 20 years, an aristocratic signature of the estate.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: a Grand Cru produced from the upper part of the Clos, on the climat known as Grand Maupertuis, along the western wall, one of the most qualitative sectors of the appellation. Replanted in the 1980s, the vines yield a confidential production of only three barrels. The wine stands out for its muscular structure, its aromatic complexity of undergrowth, its tight tannins and its superb ageing potential.