The signature of the company of Anne–Françoise Gros is the face of a young woman, declined in different profiles and expressions (designed by Marie-Paule Deville-Chabrolle), which is an apt match to the wines made by this dynamic, enthusiastic woman, whilst that of her husband, François Parent, signifies the evocative aromas of his wine with a magnificent, shiny black truffle, denoting the value of his tireless work with Pinot Noir to make the best possible wines of typicity and complexity.

The Gros family has owned vineyards for generations (since 1800) and, in 1988, Jean & Jeanine Gros decided to cede several parcels of land to their three children, by which act the Domaine A. F. Gros was established.

 

Anne–Françoise’s great grandfather, Louis Gros already exported wine to the U S A, whilst Etienne Parent, an antecedent of François Parent, who was a cooper in Beaune, befriended Thomas Jefferson during his travels in Burgundy and was requested by the latter to provide him with “sound wine for drinking” and also to send him vine roots and stocks from Gevrey-Chambertin, Meursault, etc. to plant on American soil.

 

TASTING NOTES
Domaine A. F. Gros & François Parent, established in Pommard, and Beaune, both Côtes-de -Beaune.
2004 POMMARD, Premier Cru, Les Pezerolles, Domaine A. F. Gros
COLOR : Very light, bright, classical, fine ruby Burgundy hue, rim pale (slightly developed), brilliant reflections of ruby red.
NOSE : Subdued and not very forthcoming. Very pure, emerges and reveals itself slowly. Delicate rose petal notes, hint of spice, tight aromas. Youthful shyness (delicate feminine touch).
PALATE : Fine Burgundy. Very deep, if still undeveloped, profound with latent richness and intensity of ripe, generous flavours, not yet fully formed or emerged. Hint of delicate, red fruit fragrance, which lingers on the tongue. Balanced fruit acidity, freshness and tannins. Firm and tight knit. Tremendous length and persistence. Great potential and will have a long life. A fine bottle of Pommard in 5 – 7 years time.

2004 POMMARD, Premier Cru, Les Rugiens, François Parent
COLOR : Fine classical, bright, young Burgundy hue. Very attractive ruby red, still hint of purple. Brilliant red reflections, dense and deep.
NOSE : Powerful, if at present restrained aromas. Deep and long with great potential of aromatic expression. Deep, black fruit notes. Hint of undergrowth and framework of minerality. Tightly centred around essentials. A masculine bouquet, not yet fully fledged.
PALATE : Fine, long, deep, intense and powerful wine. Still restrained and relatively undeveloped, but potent, huge potential. Needs patience to develop, soften and fill out, but all the elements are present, in perfect balance and latent. Power allied to grace and depth. Rich, lingering length. Fine wine.

First of all a reminder that Burgundy is a patchwork of minute parcels making up a vast diversity of appellations and growths based on the notion of “terroir” in all its complexity and individuality.

Anne-Françoise Gros also acquired a vineyard in Flagey-Échezeaux and, together with her husband bought a domain in Savigny-les-Beaune. Soon thereafter, François Parent added to this his own Pommard vineyards that he had inherited shortly beforehand, thus unifying the different domains.

François Parent comes from a direct lineage of 13 generations of Burgundian wine growers and wine makers, dating back to 1615, and owns other vineyards beside those mentioned above. Pinot Noir veritably flows in his veins !
Together with his wife, he bought a property in the heart of Beaune to install their vinification installations, cellars and warehouse facilities.

 

They vinify the following appellations : Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Chambolle Musigny, Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru « Clos des Guettes », Vosne Romanée « aux Réas », Vosne Romanée « Mazières », Vosne Romanée « Clos de la Fontaine » _Monopole_, Échezeaux Grand Cru « Le Petit Cîteaux » and Richebourg Grand Cru. Also Beaune Premier Cru « Les Boucherottes », Pommard Premier Cru « Les Arvelets », Pommard Premier Cru « Les Pézerolles » and Pommard « Les Epenots ». Furthermore, François Parent also possesses parcels of Bourgogne Blanc, Saint-Romain(white), Meursault (white), Chambolle Musigny, Vosne Romanée, Pommard Premier Cru « Le Clos du Verger », Pommard Premier Cru « Les Rugiens » - total 10 hectares, plus 2 ha., that they cultivate in Monthélin and in Volnay Premier Cru respectively.

 

All these wines are scrupulously vinified separately, bearing the hallmark of their specific “terroir”, identity and personality.

This formidable husband and wife team have three children, Caroline, Rosalie and Mathias. The warmth and generosity combined with the infectious enthusiasm, energetic dynamism and organisational skills of the Parent couple, are reflected in every aspect of their work and the way they receive.

Obviously, it is impossible to summarise the soil composition, but on the plains the soil is alluvial, sandy and red. The calcareous soil of Pommard, with its roots in the fossil bed, the heritage of its distant tropical past, creates a more refined and complex synergy in the wine.

 

In fact, Pommard is naturally a relatively hard, quite severe wine and has to be vinified correctly to obtain optimum results.However, the Gros-Parent partnership remains that of passionate, sensitive craftsmen working together. Parcellar vitiviniculture and the concept of “terroir” take on new meaning here.

 

The methods of cultivating the land and tending the vines are intimately adapted to the different microclimates, soils and expositions. No chemical weeding is used and environmentally friendly, minimum intervention is practised.
No treatments are systematic. Rather, they lean toward a bioseptic and biodynamic approach, and are training their personnel accordingly, although they do not wish to go to extremes as the Burgundian climate is too prone to variations and the risk would be enormous.

The rhythm that Nature and its cycles prescribe is followed when pruning and bottling.A preliminary pruning takes place in December, and then is finalised in December to the beginning of March with the emphasis of preparing the vineyards for healthy vines and grapes. The Royat Cordon system is used specifically for the young vines, but later Guyot Simple is used.

Pruned so as to allow each bunch enough space for aeration and to avoid rot attacks as far as possible. Deleafing is parsimoniously practiced to allow healthy photosynthesis and aeration.

The work in the vineyards is classical and traditional and aims at mastering the crop. Obviously, this is directly influenced by the climatic conditions (on June 1st this year it was only 3°C in the morning and by June 4th the daytime temperature reached 30°C, resulting in 10cm of growth of the vegetation in 24 hours and therefore not much flower development !)

Experience, knowledge and understanding of the vine and its behaviour are crucial. François Parent stresses that “the quality of the vintage is made in the vineyard and reflects the care lavished on the vines – excellent vines precedes excellence in the glass. Man is the intermediary between the fruit and the final product.
My vines are my garden”.The vintage is done by hand by a regular hardcore of 20 people and a full team of between 50 – 75 people depending upon the conditions. It lasts between 5 – 7 days. All are fed at lunch, and for the Richebourg team of around 10, they are lodged as well. Parcellar selection takes place.

There are no revolutionary methods used by Anne-Françoise and François Parent. “Adapt to the state of health of the grapes and the equilibrium of the vintage”. All wine receives the same care and attention.

However, it is a complex situation requiring great control and organisational skill. There is usually a pre-fermentation maceration over 3–4 days, longer for heaver and harder wines from certain appellations, but vigilantly preserving the balance. All grapes are fully destalked.

The ultimate goal of Domaines A.F. Gros and François Parent is to achieve elegance, purity and finesse. Powerful, yet supple wine, which is characterised by these three elements, is perfectly acceptable, and normal, but here is the anti – concentration school par excellence ! Relatively short fermentation – about two weeks.

Some of the wine is meant for long term maturing and this needs to be taken into consideration from the onset – should the wine possess the intrinsic potential, of course.

New barrels (approx. 60%) are fine for an adequate, initial oxidative period, but the wine has to possess the necessary structure not to be overwhelmed. 3 different coopers are used. Malolactic fermentation is very slow and the wine needs eventual clarification by a minimal bentonite fining. No filtration.

The philosophy of the Gros / Parent tandem is apparent in all their actions and in their way of life : “the hand of man conveys the value and the texture of the wine, whilst remaining faithful to its individual origin and typicity.

One’s mind, one’s senses and one’s heart has to listen to and to comprehend the inner vibrations in order to profit from the pleasures wine has to offer. It is a question of opportunity and of the choosing the right moment”.

 

MARKETING POSITION in the USA
Domaine A.F. Gros & François Parent have an excellent distribution network. Their wines are also well represented on restaurant wine lists, mainly due to their wonderful maturing abilities.

Two major importers : New Castle Inc. in South Carolina, with an extensive network over the entire territory, and Boulder Cellars in Colorado. (See their website for full list of distributors).

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