A-F. Gros Moulin-a-Vent “En Montperay” 2023

Anne-Françoise Gros, originally from Vaughn-Romanet, married François Parent of Pommard, where they live today, but their wines have been produced in a winery in Beaune since 1998. Parents-winemakers are actively supported by their children Caroline and Mathieu. The winery is formed by Anna's share in Domaine Jean Gros - vineyards that she bought or leased in the region of Vaughn-Romanet, and her husband's share in Domaine Parent. François Parent also offers wines under his own brand, which is adorned with black truffle. Anna's wines can be recognized by the silhouette of a woman's head, which is made in a unique style for each appellation. Since 2008, a sorting table has been installed in the winery, where the stalks are removed, but the grapes are not choked. The grapes go through a short cold maceration, and then the fermentation process. The grape juice is concentrated in a device that Michelle and Bernard Gros also use.

Gamay variety gives fresh, candied aromas and red-berries, it usually delivers little in the way of buquet concentration and body weight, giving very light wines. That said, some well-made examples can be complex, fine structured and deep.

This part of Burgundy has lost its good reputation due to a particular wine style however it will always be special for wine lovers – one can find a very good price/quality ratio here. It is interesting that all of the "Cru" gardens use the Gamay grape – although it is the little brother of Pinot Noir, some gardens, such as Morgon, Moulin-a-Vent and Fleurie, reach a similar complexity to some of the Côte d'Or Premier Cru wines. Wines are mostly saturated in colour and have intense dark berry and ground notes in the aroma.

Burgundy (Bourgogne) can be confusing because of the multiplicity of its appellations - all the small vineyards are divided between multiple producers so it can often be difficult to understand this diversity. However, it is the exact reason why the wines of Burgundy are considered to be the finest in the world. A common topic of discussion, when talking about Burgundy, is the concept of "terroir" - a unique combination of soil and climate conditions that affects the taste of wine in the appellations, making it unique to each village. Winemakers mainly use the capricious Pinot Noir and the classical Chardonnay to create true masterpieces, while Gamay and Aligote are used to make wines of a bit simpler style. Particular attention should be paid to the hierarchy of wines. First there are the regional and village wines, a step higher - the Premier Cru wines and the outstanding Grand Cru - at the top. Due the complex and inconsistent weather that can notably impact wine quality especially in bad harvest years, a very important factor here is the so called millesime - the harvest year of the grapes the particular wine is produced of, because each of these years has its own unique taste. Purchasing Burgundy wines is not easy because there are many details that should be taken into consideration - the class of the vineyard, the assessment of the manufacturer, the age of the vines, the quality of the wine as well as the millesime and, of course, the potential of ageing. The sellers play a big role here - they must be truly passionate about wine and able to offer only the best quality producers with a good reputation. That is exactly the way "Noble Wine" works!