After a winter 2021-2022 with normal temperatures and rainfall, early spring 2022 was relatively cool, bringing about a timid start to the growing season and avoiding damage linked to frost in early April. From mid-April, temperatures rose very quickly and vegetation exploded into life. The rest of spring remained on this dynamic with high temperatures and notable sunshine. Flowering started at end May and developed rapidly thanks to the very favourable weather conditions. So, harvest 2022 was already promising to be very early, following in the tracks of vintage 2020. Rainfall was scarce in April/May, but the season was rescued by a very important accumulation of rainwater through June, notably from the storm on 21st June, whose epicentre passed through Gevrey. Thanks to this salutary rainfall, vine growth showed no sign of water stress through to harvest, despite a summer that was again very hot, dry and sunny. As a feature of these hot, dry conditions, mildew and botrytis became rare with only oidium applying certain pressure, but vine healthiness remained excellent through to harvest.
Harvesting began at the domain on 3rd September on the Côte and ended on 17th September in the Hautes-Côtes. The very good grape cluster formation in spring 2022, coupled with a lovely growing season without climatic incident, brought a very good crop in terms of quantity and quality. Again, grape healthiness was excellent and sorting mainly concerned those bunches where ripeness was not fully achieved.
The style of vintage 2022 once more reveals an aromatic profile of high maturity, comparable to vintage 2019, but with fruit that is even more present. The wines are both ample and rich, with lovely balance of acidity, silky tannins and explosive fruit. The whole range of wines already offers immediate tasting pleasure and the higher appellations will gain from patience over some years in cellar.
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The 2022 Bourgogne Blanc Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Fontaine St Martin has a fresh nose with yellow fruit, hints of nectarine and chai tea. The palate shows a bit of gas on the entry, but there is good weight and energy here. It is quite mellifluous towards the finish, and it should be ready to rumble almost as soon as it is bottled. 85-87
This is aromatically similar to the Au Vallon with just a touch of wood influence in evidence.
The round and delicious middleweight flavors possess slightly better mid-palate volume, indeed the suave texture is seductive, which contrasts somewhat with the dusty and abruptly short finish. This may well come together but it’s awkward today. (White) 85-87
Taut yellow stone fruit aromatics lead to a sleek supple palate with plenty of yellow citrus fruit concentration, a hint of caramelised fig, green melon and a delicate tarte tatin richness on the finish. Really attractive and seductive and ready to drink on release. (White) 88-91
The 2022 Bourgogne Cote d’Or has a perfumed nose, maraschino cherries mixed with mulberry and a touch of orange zest. The palate is sweet on the entry, with low acidity, quite fleshy and dense. It needs a little more precision to come through on the finish. 84-86
A ripe and distinctly earthy nose speaks mostly of red and dark currant aromas. There is both good vibrancy and detail to the reasonably concentrated middleweight flavors that conclude in a dusty, mildly austere and rustic finale. 86-88
The 2022 Bourgogne Rouge Hautes-Cotes de Nuits is a blend of two parcels picked latest during harvest and matured in foudres for the first six months. It has an overtly floral nose with touches of white flowers infusing the red fruit. Very aromatic. The medium-bodied palate has a sweet entry, is quite fleshy in style, with a gentle grip and a bit of sinew towards the finish. 85-87
A more elegant and slightly cooler nose reflects lightly spiced fruit that derives more from the red side of the spectrum. Here too there is good vibrancy to the finer medium weight flavors that flash a subtle bead of minerality on the youthfully austere and slightly firmer finale. Worth a look. 86-89
A blend of two parcels, this energetic 2022 is an earthy, savoury expression full of floral wild strawberry, bramble berry spice and mineral undertones. The palate retains a very pretty sweet fruited purity, bright acids and a picante, crunchy, spicy limestone finish 87-88
Delicate red fruit on the palate. Precise, not particularly deep or concentrated but a clean, fresh and elegant Bourgogne Rouge. 15,5
Vibrant, dark-cherry fruit. Fine balance between the generous fruit and firm tannins/leafy notes on the finish. Lighter in weight but there is plenty of force here. 16,5
Floral, dark-cherry notes. Plenty to like. Bright, focused and with a fine line of acidity, the palate is energetic and the tannins are elegant and smooth. Should develop very well and is a fine introduction to village Vosne. 16,5
The 2022 Vosne-Romanee Village needed a couple of minutes to settle in the glass. It offers a melange of red and black fruit, violets and a dab of licorice, gradually gaining more clarity.
The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins. Well-balanced and tensile, it needs a little more flesh towards its finish, but it should still offer several years of drinking pleasure. 88-90
A very Vosne-like nose freely reveals notes of plum, violet, pomegranate, sandalwood and Asian- style tea. The vibrant medium weight flavors exude a subtle minerality on the chalky, lingering and well-balanced finale where touches of warmth and youthful austerity slowly emerges. Lovely and a wine that should repay up to a decade of keeping. 88-91
Classical nose of earthy savoury bramble berry fruits, Asian spices, liquorice and black berry. There is a freshness and brightness on the palate supported by a zippy candied cherry fruited intensity and a cool, creamy generous finish with an attractive kiss of vanilla oak spice. A very attractive village level Vosne. 90-92
The 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Village offers one of my favorite aromatics amongst the Domaine’s wines: black cherries, wild strawberries, sous-bois and light tobacco. The palate is smooth with filigree tannins, well-judged acidity, and a caressing and Vosne-like finish with plenty of allure. Very persistent, this Chambolle punches well above its weight. 91-93
Firm reduction renders the nose unreadable at present. The sleeker and finer middleweight flavors possess very good punch as well as a subtle minerality that carries over to the dusty, compact and youthfully austere finale that flirts with rusticity. 88-91
Mostly sourced from a climat called Les Argillieres (66%). The aromatics are fine and beautifully perfumed, elegantly red fruited and attractive with pink flowers, red cherry fruits and an attractive pink musk spice. Full, fleshy and accessible, this is a very generous wine that’s very easy to understand and delicious to drink without compromising its complexity. Undoubtedly on of the top 2022 Gros wines to seek out! 91-93+
Deeper hue. Lots of concentration and plushness evident. Extra layers of flavour. Fine tannins, very well-judged oak. Finishes a little on the dry side but this should evolve very well once in bottle. 16,5+
The 2022 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Chaliots comes from a single plot below Les Poirets. It opens with crushed strawberry and cranberry fruit, dried violets and touches of incense. It just needs
a little more delineation. The medium-bodied palate is fresh and tensile with fine tannins, a keen line of acidity, and a nuanced, persistent finish that reminds me of Mugneret-Gibourg. This is a lovely Nuits Saint-Georges, elegant without short changing you on fruit. 91-93
A slightly more elegant nose reveals discreet spice and floral wisps on the red currant and softer earth nuances. The sleeker and more energetic middleweight flavors display a more evident bead of minerality on the lingering, robust and powerful finish where a touch of rusticity gradually appears. 87-90
Coming from a single plot below Les Poirets, the 2022 boasts a dark broody tightly focused aromatics that are slighty muted and mineral driven but quite plush and generous on the palate with sweet red plum, strawberry compote and stony mineral tannins all in a very elegant harmonious balance. 90-93
The 2022 Morey-Saint-Denis En la Rue Vergy bides its time in the glass, opening with scents of cranberry, white-tipped strawberry and some black fruit, a deft touch of tobacco in the background. The palate sashays along nicely: fine tannins, well-judged acidity, sure, with some new oak (30%) to be subsumed with bottle age. Yet there is plenty of fruit to soak that up, and there is tangible frisson on the finish. One to look out for. 91-93
A cool and perfumed nose offers up mostly red and dark currant aromas that display hints of violet and tea, all of which is trimmed in softwood influence. There is excellent punch to the lightly mineral-inflected medium weight flavors that culminate in a chiseled, youthfully austere and slightly tangy finish. 88-90
A plot just above Clos de Tart that also touches the left-hand side of Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru. The aromatics are sweet and sappy, leafy and brambly with hints of savoury tobacco spice. The palate shows a fleshy, plummy black fruited opulence, good breadth and excellent richness supported by fine grained refined elegant tannins. Quite showy in its youth no doubt embellished by the 30% new oak component. 90-93
The 2022 Gevrey-Chambertin La Platiere seems slightly more reticent on the nose than Gros’s other Village Crus, offering red plum, wild strawberry, and maybe a little more VA than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with a smooth opening. Commendable depth, but here I am seeking a little more acidic “bite” and more nervosite toward the finish. Not bad, though outshone by some of its peers this vintage. 88-90
Here too there is just enough wood lurking in the background to notice on the more deeply pitched nose of poached plum, wild currant and warm earth. There is fine volume to the rich, caressing and velvet-textured middleweight flavors that flash good power on the firm, rustic and mildly warm finale. This could use better depth so a few years of cellaring should prove to be beneficial. 87-90
On the southern side of Gevrey, this classical wine shows blood and earthy meaty red fruits, sour plum and strawberry compote nuances. Plush and fleshy on the palate, there is a tangy sweet- sour acidity, sleek silky mineral tannins and a cool creamy savoury finish with a fine balance. 90-92
The usual blend of Aux Murgers and Vignerondes, the 2022 Nuits Saint-Georges ler Cru is aged in 50% new oak. It offers slightly confit-like red fruit, violets and potpourri aromas that gradually build momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied, quite understated in many ways, and arguably needs a little more grip and density on the finish. Yet that might have compromised its balance and charm. Give it a couple of years in bottle. 90-92
Ripe and pretty aromas include those of red and dark currant with background whiffs of earth and forest floor. There is fine volume to the caressing yet powerful and palate soaking medium-bodied flavors that firm up noticeably on the dusty, moderately austere and impressively persistent finale. This well-made effort will need at least some forbearance as it’s pretty compact at present. 90-93
A blend of two very small 1er Cru vineyards Aux Murgers and Vignerondes makes for a very attractive wine packed with dark berry fruits, bramble berry spice, black plum and graphite minerality. The palate is cool, dense and creamy with a pinpoint precise texture soaking up the 50% new oak, supple drying mineral tannins and a beautifully harmonious finish. Normally not easy to find but a real ‘must-buy’ if you do. Delicious. 92-93+
The 2022 Vosne-Romanee Aux Brulees ler Cru comes from a parcel just next to their new plot in Richebourg. I gave this three or four minutes to open in the glass. Eventually, it offers enticing scents of redcurrant jam, white-tipped strawberries, and dried white flowers. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with quite a “sexy” opening of confit red fruit, maybe a little too sweet for my liking, with hints of fig and marmalade towards the finish. Yet it has charm and feels more approachable than some of its peers. Very fine, but I might have picked this a day earlier, hence my prudent score. 91-93
An admirably discreet dollop of wood is present on the spicier broad-ranging nose of red and black pinot fruit, plum and exotic tea scents. The utterly delicious and seductively textured medium weight flavors are not as concentrated but they are finer, all wrapped in a more obviously mineral- driven, robust and impressively powerful finish. Patience absolutely recommended. 90-93
Sourced from a plot just next to the Richebourg, this wine boasts a savoury earthy nose full of sweet herbs and Asian spices, bramble berries, blue and black berries and a cool, creamy opulence. The palate is sweet fruited, bright and pure with real energy, elegance and freshness supported by polished fine grained tannins and an understated fleshy power. A lot to like about this classy wine. 92-94
Lots more oak on show compare with the village Vosne. Needs time once bottled. Darker fruit on the palate. Sweetness as well. A lovely combination of ripe tannins, high quality oak, ripe fruit and bright acidity. Best to keep this for at least 12-18 months tough. Lovely sweetness on the finish. 17+
The 2022 Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas ler Cru is the monopole of the Domaine where they recently conducted a geological study revealing much of the vineyard consists of marl with clay/ limestone topsoil. It offers a perfumed, floral bouquet with redcurrant, cranberry, and strawberry fruit. It is a little strict at the moment. The medium-bodied palate is lightly spiced with fine tannins, nuanced, but it fans out with zeal toward the finish. It’s the kind of Premier Cru that grows on you the more that you are acquainted. One of the best examples that I have tasted in recent years. 92-94
Slightly riper aromas of plum liqueur, violet, warm earth and plenty of spice elements lead to attractively textured flavors that display fine depth on the serious and youthfully austere finish that is borderline chewy. This promising built-to-age effort is clearly going to need extended keeping and I would suggest not touching a bottle for at least 7 to 8 years. 91-93
A fabulous 2.12-hectare single Monopole site that yields 40 barrels in a good vintage like 2022. But here you find quality and quantity with expressive earthy savoury black fruits with a pronounced brûléed oak complexity, layers of bramble berry fruits, spiced plum and a palate weight that suggests a subtle power and intensity. The finish is generous and long, creamy with sweet mineral tannins and an attractive Christmas spice persistence. A very classy Monopole expression that has excelled in 2022. 92-94
The 2022 Clos de Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui Grand Cru is matured in 100% new oak. This has
a refined bouquet, understated at first, opening with black cherries and red plum scents, a touch of rose bush in the background. The medium-bodied palate has a succulent entry. It’s one of the fleshiest, more corpulent Clos Vougeot wines that I met, although I still contend that the new oak is just a little too vocal on the finish (I maintain that exchanging one of the three barrels for used would ameliorate this cuvée.) Still, give it five or six years in bottle, and you’ll have a decent Clos Vougeot. 91-93
Discreet wood and menthol influences easily allows the aromas of plum, dark currant, earth and evident sauvage character to be appreciated. The richer, more powerful and more complex broad- shouldered flavors are blessed with plenty of dry extract that helps to buffer the very firm, robust, compact and youthfully austere finale. 91-93
A serious expression from Clos de Vougeot using 100% new French oak, is packed full of graphite and smoky limestone minerality, picante bramble berry fruits and spicey black plum. The palate is dense and powerful with an intriguing minty sappy spice over boiled black currant candied fruits and sweet chalky tannins. A seriously showy effort worthy of its Grand Cru status that will benefit from extra time in bottle. 93-94++
The 2022 Echezeaux Les Loachausses Grand Cru is the maiden release from a 0.38-hectare strip that hitherto was part of the cuvee produced by Gros Frere & Soeur and is matured in 100% new oak. [Readers should note that Paul Gros, son of Anne, is farming the same lieu-dit to be released under his own name. It has a tightly wound nose at first. Then it opens with ebullient red berry fruit, Japanese yuzu, a smear of Seville orange marmalade, and sous-bois aromas. The palate is smooth and harmonious, quite plush in style – lots of rondeur here. It’s quite toasty toward the finish due to the oak, but it feels long and sumptuous. Afford this several years to soak up the wood. 93-95
A touch of wood toast sets off the pretty and very fresh red and dark currant and poached plum aromas that display top notes of Asian-style tea and lovely spice nuances. The cool and restrained middleweight flavors exude a distinct minerality on the linear, youthfully austere and sneaky long finish where the wood reappears. This is a bit oaky today but it appears to have the necessary density to integrate it in time. 92-94
Another new maiden release from a 0.38 hectare parcel, the 2022 has yielded some beautifully attractive Echezeaux reds packed full of lifted perfumed red berry fruits, macerated strawberry and delicate sappy spice. The concentration and generosity of fruit on the palate are notable, easily assimilating a classy lick of vanilla new oak spice, hints of buttered brown toast, black berry compote and exotic orange peel. This is a very impressive wine with an exotic sweet fruited wild side, massive fruit intensity and a very well honed, balanced texture. A real head turning wine. 93-95+
The 2022 Richebourg Grand Cru is another new cuvee added to the Domaine’s portfolio due to the end of Colette Gros’s lease agreement. This parcel is located in the lieu-dit of Les Verroilles, where there was originally a wall, parts of which remain. This 0.41-hectares is sandwiched between rows owned by A.F. Gros and Gros Frere & Soeur. Aged entirely in new oak, the refined bouquet gradually builds in the glass: mainly dark berry fruit, forest floor, hints of morels and light graphite aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. This is a more elegant take on Richebourg. It is harmonious with a satin texture, a peacock’s tail towards the finish, and a dash of white pepper on the aftertaste. This marks a very impressive debut. 94-96
Here too there is a touch of wood toast lurking in the background of the wonderfully spicy, airy and cool array of mostly dark berry fruit and floral aromas. The tautly muscular and intensely mineral-driven bigger-bodied flavors possess innate power that carries over to the driving and exceptionally firm finale that is compact, serious and very much built-to-age. Excellent. 92-95
A newly inherited 0.41-hectare plot yielding 6 barrels of one of the most coveted and treasured Pinot Noirs crus in Burgundy. The aromatics are cool, complex and multi-dimensional offering fruit and spice, earthy savoury depth and a pronounced but beautifully integrated limestone minerality. Plush and energetic in the mouth with the tangiest sleek acids and plush, seamless sweet tannins. Such a complete wine in the context of truly great Cotes de Nuits Burgundy. 95-97
