Domaine AF Gros Richebourg Grand Cru 2020
SKU
AFRB202010 UCAU
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Domaine Anne-Francoise Gros is the coming together of two famous and ancient Burgundian winemaking families
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Anne-Francoise is married to Francois Parent of Pommard, both bringing access to some of the most sought-after sites in the region
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Together, along with their children Caroline and Mathieu they make top-class Burgundy at their beautiful estate in Beaune
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1 or more bottles$2,500.00
Editors notes
Richebourg is one of the six Grand Cru vineyards in Vosne Romanée consisting of 8ha which is shared between 10 producers including Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noellat and Domaine Meo-Camuzet.
There has been a sorting table at the family winery since 2008 which allows the family to carefully select only perfect bunches, after which the grapes are destemmed but not crushed. The grapes are given a short cool maceration, then fermented with more pumping over than punching down, with the juice being concentrated by a similar machine to that used by Michel and Bernard Gros, if necessary.
Details
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Wine Type
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Vintage
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Variety
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Brand
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Location
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Cellaring
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Closure
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Alcohol Percentage
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Oak Type
Tasting Profile
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Light (Light)Full (Full)
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Low Tannin (Low Tannin)Tannic (Tannic)
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Sweet (Sweet)Dry (Dry)
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Low Acidity (Low Acidity)High Acidity (High Acidity)
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Aroma
- Earthy
- Herbal
- Red Fruits
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Palate
- Cedar
- Red Cherry
- Strawberry
Food Pairings
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Poultry
Critic Scores & reviews
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Decanter
95"A superb bottle of Richebourg, this shows concentrated cherry and cassis fruit, with a menthol and rose petal edge, plus just a bit of peppery spice. The wine shows remarkably fresh acidity (particularly given the vintage), but there is no lack of density or structure here. Lovely. The fruit is from the 0.6ha parcel in Les Varoilles and is fermented after a cold soak with 30-40% whole-cluster, then aged in new casks. Drinking Window 2023 - 2040"
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Decanter
98"(2019 vintage) A treat. Anne Gros owns 0.6ha of old vines in Richebourg, most of it in Les Véroilles . The fruit is completely destemmed prior to fermentation, and Gros relates that the Richebourg grapes are sturdy enough to continue punching down longer than other parcels. The firm extraction yields a wine of marvellous density, but not one that is lacking the Anne Gros trademark of velvety, unctuous fruit. A superb wine capable of decades of cellaring if desired. Drinking Window 2029 - 2059."
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Vinous
95"(2019 vintage) The 2019 Richebourg Grand Cru is very pure and focused, featuring strawberry, raspberry, orange peel and blood orange aromas; a hint of black truffle emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm but fine tannins. Wonderfully focused, spicier and more savory than the 2018, leading into a long finish, this is a superb Richebourg, even if at the moment I would like to see more of its aristocratic origin.- By Neal Martin Anne Gros herself was taking a well-earned post-harvest rest when I visited, though that is no problem these days as her daughter, Julie, is taking an increasingly prominent role in the running of the domaine in Vosne-Romanée. “There was a lower crop than in 2018,” she explained between darting from one stainless steel vat to another. “Each year we buy 30 new barrels. The normal total production would be around 120 barrels but in 2019 we had 100 barrels, then 80 barrels in 2020. We started picking on 17 September with the Bourgogne Rouge followed by the Grand Crus, the reds before the whites. All the wines are aged in around one-third new oak with all cuvées entirely de-stemmed. They will be bottled in December.” This is always a small portfolio crowned by their holding in Richebourg, though in 2019 the pair that caught my eye were an excellent Echézeaux that overtook the Clos Vougeot in its slipstream, also an over-performing Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux that could pass as a Premier Cru. Occasionally I wanted a little more density and grip, though."
Other vintages
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Locations
France
Wine is being produced throughout France and has been done for over 2,500 years with certain Châteaux dating their history back to Roman times, around 6th Century BC. Ranking second in the world in per-capita consumption and first in total production quantity. More so than the overall quantity of wine is the quantity of truly great wines coming out of France makes the nation the envy of wine-making nations worldwide.
Two concepts pivotal to the higher end French wines, in particular, are the idea of 'terroir' and the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system. Terroir refers to the way the geography, geology and climate find their way into the glass, telling a story of the origin of the wine. The AOC was set up in 1935 and has the primary goal of protecting the authenticity of the wines and the livelihoods of the producers. Appellation rules strictly define which varieties of grapes and winemaking practices are approved for classification in each of France's several hundred geographically defined appellations, which can cover entire regions, individual villages or in some cases, like in Burgundy even specific vineyards.
Classic wine regions in France include Champagne (home of Champagne), Burgundy (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay), Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot), Alsace (Aromatic varietals), Loire Valley (Chenin Blanc, Crémant) and the Rhône Valley (Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre)
The Bordeaux classification of 1855 is still in use, as is the Sauternes and Barsac Classification of the same year. Wines from certain regions can be bought En Primeur, which is when the wine is sold prior to it being bottled.
Burgundy
Burgundy is undoubtedly the home of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnays in the world, where vineyards, or Domaines have been producing wines for over 2000 years. Burgundy is located in the North-east of France, an hours drive from Lyon and 2 hours from Paris. With over 100 appellations, or sub-regions (more than any other wine region) Burgundy is known for being the most terroir-oriented region in the World. The finest red wines of Burgundy are found in the Côte d'Or, a string of villages including Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey St Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-St Georges.
There are flavours present in great Burgundys that are the envy of Pinot Noir producers worldwide. The elusive peacocks tail finish that goes on and on, and the pretty-elegance backed by Burgundy muscle is the goal of winemakers around the globe. The main levels in the Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations. For the Chablis wines, a similar hierarchy of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village wines is used, plus Petit Chablis as a level below Village Chablis.
Richebourg
Richebourg is a Grand Cru appellation for exclusively red wines (Pinot Noir) in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy, France. These Burgundian Pinot Noirs are dark ruby in colour, gaining a more crimson hue with age. On the nose, expect red and black fruits, violets, and spices. With proper ageing, tertiary notes of underbrush, truffle, leather, and fur will develop. On the palate, these wines are powerful and complex, with elegant tannins and amazing length. Truly age-worthy, these Grands Crus will indeed benefit from long cellaring – even 20 to 30 years. (Generally, they should have at least 10 years’ ageing.)
About the brand Domaine AF Gros
The Domaine A.F Gros has been around since 1988. After retirement in 1996, Jean and Jeanine Gros divided the family Domaine (Domaine Jean Gros) between their three children Michel, Bernard and Anne-Françoise. Domaine A.F (Anne-Françoise) Gros consists of Anne’s share of Domaine Jean Gros, additional properties in and around Vosne-Romanée which she has bought or leased, and her husband’s share of Domaine Parent. Although based in Pommard, the wines of AF Gros have been produced from the same premises in Beaune since 1998.
Assisted by their children Caroline and Mathieu, this Domaine has been using a sorting table since 2008, after which the grapes are destemmed but not crushed. The grapes are given a short cool maceration, then fermented with more pumping over than punching down. The juice is then sometimes concentrated by a similar machine to that used by Anne’s brothers Michel and Bernard Gros, (however only if necessary).
Each Gros Domaine is autonomous and independent; Domaine Michel Gros in Vosne Romanée, Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur directed by Bernard in Vosne Romanée, and Domaine Anne-Françoise Gros in Pommard).
Her labels sport the outline of a female head, each one different according to the stylistic interpretation of the appellation by Anne-Françoise and the artist.
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