2012 Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur Clos de Vougeot Musigni Grand Cru

The 2012 Clos de Vougeot “Le Musigni” comes from the titular lieu-dit tucked in the top right hand corner behind the chateau as you observe the clos from the RN75. It is ripe and candied on the nose with hints of licorice and star anise joining the dense black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy dry tannins on the entry. It is difficult trying to peer through the opaqueness of the new oak in order to discern the character of the fruit underneath. This is a standoffish Clos de Vougeot at the moment compared to say, the example from cousin Anne or brother Michel. Cellar this for at least seven or eight years. Bernard gave me a superb boogie-woogie rendition of “Amazing Grace” on his Steinway, one that Jools Holland would be proud of, following my tasting of 2012s His grand piano, parked in a cavernous annex of his renovated cellar, is truly something to behold. There it stands against the craggy, fissured limestone walls that form a jaw-dropping juxtaposition against what appears to be the dance-floor at Studio 54. I’ve been visiting this address ever since I started in the wine trade and Bernard Gros’s style has remained unchanged during that period. These are big wines lavished in new oak – always have been and maybe always will be. I cannot help feeling that the range would be improved without resorting 100% new oak on every single cuvee from the village Vosne-Romanee upwards and I sometimes question the practice of heating the wines to 40 degrees for 24 hours to give rounder tannins. Is that over-egging an already very tasty cake? The wines are occasionally subjugated by the new wood and my experience of mature bottles suggests that they never quite shake it off, although there are Burgundy lovers who appreciate that style, perhaps in Japan where Bernard enjoys a strong following. When you start reaching the grand crus, in particular the Richebourg, only then you can see that the intense fruit is able to carry the wood and fully absorb it, allowing the terroir to show through. Bernard Gros is one of Vosne-Romanee’s most entertaining winemakers. I just hope that in future vintages he’ll just retreat a little from the cooperage so that we can see his propitious vineyards. Importer: Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639