Last night, a local wine guy hosted a dinner with Anne Gros, who was in town (in the midst of her first-ever trip to the USA). It ended up being pretty over the top and a very, very lovely time. This dinner really underscored my belief that Anne (who is wonderful) makes some of the most lovely wines in Burgundy. The Gros wines more than held their own alongside some of the most esteemed Burgundy producers.
Even though there were a ton of wines, they were paired in flights to the food so it didn’t become a blur. And I actually for once took contemporaneous notes. Here are quick hits on some of what was opened. My scores may seem high, but the wines were just so beautiful across the board. Trying to score was really splitting hairs.
Champagnes & White Burg
- 88 Dom Ruinart BdB - Probably my WOTN. Piercing nose and then it fans out on the palate with layers of yellow fruit, brioche, and a bit of nuttiness. Even improved as the night went on. (97)
- 90 Dom Ruinart Rose (Mag) - Beautiful. In a perfect spot. Mellow fruit and relaxed profile but still plenty powerful. Nice red-fruit undertones. (94)
- 02 Pol Roger SWC (Mag) - Zippy and fresh out of Mag. Dense fruit and fine mousse. Very good but will be much better in 5-10 years. (92)
- 02 Heidsieck Rare - Still young and vibrant with great fruit. Rounder and more fleshed-out than the SWC. (93)
- 02 Leflaive Batard - Also in the running for WOTN. Nearly perfect White Burg in a perfect spot. Deep and broad, with impeccable balance. (97)
- 02 Dauvissat Clos - Shimmering and mineral with nice body. Fresh as a daisy. A total beauty but not as grand as the Leflaive. (95)
- 16 Le Moine Corton Charlemagne - Surprise of the night. I’ve never much liked 16 whites. And I don’t have much Le Moine experience. But this was excellent. Big and bold but with plenty of acid. Interesting anise note. (94)
Anne Gros Wines
- 59 Gros-Renaudot Richebourg - Very special wine made by Anne’s father and uncle. Still has intense fruit with crazy, tertiary complexity. Powerful and plenty alive. Probably consensus WOTN and certainly the most memorable. (97)
- 96 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot - Wide open and fragrant, this is a great 96. Anne has super-old CV vines (most planted in 1905) and this shows with deep, crunchy fruit. Still on the upswing. (95)
- 98 Anne Gros Richebourg - Powerful and textured. Nice polish and balance. Great spot on its maturity curve. An absolute beauty. (94)
- 09 Anne Gros Richebourg - Huge fruit but more closed than many 09s. Hold. (95)
- 09 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot - Wonderful. More open than the 09 Riche. (94)
- 15 Anne Gros Clos Vougeot - Dense and impressive, with plush fruit, but young. Needs to unfurl. (94)
- 20 Anne Gros Richebourg - One of my favorite wines of the night. So open and juicy with huge, pure dark fruit. Very grand and long. Maybe my favorite 2020 I’ve had and the one wine of the night I’m going to try to seek out. (96)
Other Red Burgs
- 01 Potel Romanee St. Vivant - Elegant and harmonious. Spice notes. Still quite fresh. Not a big wine but quite lovely. (93)
- 06 Roumier Bonnes Mares - Big and intense and still so young. But so classy and enjoyable. The fruit is huge, pure, and crunchy. Significant structure and 10-20 years from peak. (94)
- 07 Vogue Musigny - Velvet texture and quite open, though a bit simple. Doesn’t quite have grand cru stature. (90)
- 08 Dujac Clos de la Roche - I’ve never had a bad 08 Dujac and this is a magical wine. Perfect balance of intense, dark fruit and bright acid. I wish I had cases of this. (96)
- 21 DRC Duvault-Blochet - Super young. Way too young. Beautiful, intense fruit but really shouldn’t be opened for another decade or two. (93)
Yquem
- 83 Yquem - Much fresher than the .375 I had of this last year. Totally beautiful. Dried fruit, very bright. Not too sweet. (94)
- 01 Yquem - A legend for good reason. Spherical. Intense. Opulent. (96)
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