Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot
Minervois, Languedoc
Burgundy meets the Languedoc in this inspired partnership between Vosne-Romanée’s Anne Gros and fellow winemaker Jean-Paul Tollot. Drawn by the untapped potential of the Minervois, the pair craft wines that marry Burgundian precision with southern French generosity.
Working 15 hectares of old-vine Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault, they farm sustainably, harvesting by hand and vinifying parcel by parcel to capture the personality of each site. Ageing is carefully tailored, with a mix of tank, concrete, and French oak bringing elegance, freshness, and layered complexity.
The range includes vibrant, fruit-forward cuvées like Les Fontanilles and La Ciaude, as well as the more structured Les Carrétals from century-old Carignan vines. Across the lineup, there is a clear signature: supple tannins, lifted aromatics, and a harmony between freshness and ripeness that sets them apart from more rustic expressions of the region. The result is a collection of pure, expressive wines—silky and aromatic, yet sun-kissed and full of energy—that bridge two great French traditions in one unforgettable glass.
Today, Anne Gros & Jean-Paul Tollot stand as one of the most exciting names in the Languedoc, proving that with the right site, careful farming, and a perfectionist’s touch, Minervois can produce wines of world-class stature.
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Les Fontanilles Rouge 2023 92WA
Minervois
$26.99 on 6+ bottles*
$28.99 reg US LOW
*OK to mix & match
This is a complex terroir, oriented northwest, made up of small patches of vineyards surrounded by scrublands of pine trees, wild thyme and rosemary, on which grow the 4 varietals of the domaine. Les Fontanilles is a cuvee that combines maturity and freshness and offers a bouquet of red and black fruits, and peppery spices. This wine goes particularly well with grilled meats and barbecues.A vibrant wine.
Soils: marl – sandstone – clayey-limestone
Vineyard Size: 3 hectares/ 7.4 acres
Vines: between 22 and 50 years old
Varietals: Syrah – Grenache – Carignan – Cinsault
Harvest: by hand
Vinification: Burgundian
Aging: 50% oak barrels, 50% stainless steel tanks
Our Tasting Note
Dark purple red core, vibrant edges. Pronounced nose, lush, fresh, dark red to black fruits, plum, cherry, blackberry, wild Provencal florals. On the palate the minerality comes through with a lot of density, ample acidity, velvety and fine grain tannins, supple, a full bodied, round wine. Pronounced flavor intensity and a long dark fruited kirsch finish. Very good quality.
92pts Wine Advocate
Notes of Mediterranean herbs, spices, dark berries, mulberries and flowers preface the 2023 Minervois Les Fontanilles, a medium to full-bodied, dense and layered wine framed by elegant, sweet tannins, culminating in a long, spicy and mineral finish. This is a classic in the making.
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La Ciaude 2023
Minervois
$31.99 on 6+ bottles*
$33.99 reg US LOW
*OK to mix & match
This is Anne’s ‘great terroir’ wine, one that benefits from a unique vein of limestone, à la Burgundy. ‘Ciaude’ in the local dialect means sun; every sip is saturated with rich red /black summer fruits.
Blend: 35% Carignan, 35% Syrah, 30% Grenache
Three grape varieties which complement each other to give us this wonderful cuvée. On this great terroir consisting of limestone and clay soils, facing south, the white blinding limestone of Agel gave us some wines full or great energy. These fine wines, which benefit from careful maturing in barrels, represent a cuvée superbly silky, combined with concentration and a mineral persistence full of finesse. It is the magical combination of a burning sun and cool soil, from where, deep within, the wine draws the water it needs. Early and steady maturity, lovely acidity…
A great Terroir consisting in:
- 1.30 HA of 25-year-old Syrah
- 0.80 Ha of 108-year-old Carignan
- 0.50 Ha of 50-year-old Carignan
- 0.50 Ha of 12-year-old Grenache
92 RP (previous vintage)
Aromas of black cherry, raspberry, light baking spices, and wild herbs. Full-bodied, plush, textured; very long. Pairs well with Korean-spiced grilled beef and lamb with fresh herbs and garlic.
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Les Carretals Rouge 2023
Minervois
$39.99 on 6+ bottles*
$41.99 reg US LOW
*OK to mix & match
1.07 Ha of heritage of 1909. Finesse, elegance, length, rigour and energy… a beatiful maturing deserving of these great qualities!
Grape Varieties: Carignan and Grenache from 1909
Soils: clay-limestone
Vineyard Size: 1.7 hectares / 4,2 acres
Harvest: by hand
Vinification: Burgundian
Aging: 100% oak barrels
Our Tasting Note
More red than purple, though plenty of color, ruby edges. The pronounced nose is savory and more red fruited and spicy, some Provencal sub and florals too. The palate is full bodied, with medium grain tannins, more chiseled than the Fontanilles, more perceptible acidity, pronounced flavor intensity and a persistent, long finish of red spice and fruit.
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