Clos Vougeot Grand Maupertui 2024 Domaine Anne Gros

The Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Le Grand Maupertui 2024 from Domaine Anne Gros is a bottle of absolute rarity and nobility — a grand cru within the grand cru, as those fortunate enough to taste it will tell you, so far does the complexity and depth of this exceptional terroir exceed the already considerable prestige of the Clos Vougeot appellation. With only 93 ares of vineyard in a single parcel, some vines planted in 1905, Le Grand Maupertui is one of the most confidential and sought-after intraparcellaires in all of Burgundy — claimed by collectors worldwide upon release, before ordinary enthusiasts have time to see it on wine lists.

The terroir of Le Grand Maupertui

Clos de Vougeot is Burgundy's most celebrated Grand Cru, 80 hectares enclosed by walls built by Cistercian monks from Cîteaux Abbey from the 12th century onwards, its legend and history radiating across centuries. Yet behind this universally admired appellation lies a geological reality of fascinating complexity: its 80 hectares do not yield the same wine depending on whether one sits at the top, middle, or bottom of the slope. It is precisely at the top of the Clos, at the lieu-dit Le Grand Maupertui, directly beneath Grands-Échézeaux and neighbouring Chambolle-Musigny, that the appellation's most noble and finest terroirs lie. Anne Gros's parcel, 93 ares in a single block, rests on a depression of clay and large limestone rocks, a geological profile of exceptional richness and complexity that marries the power and flesh of clay with the minerality and tension of limestone. The topsoil layer is relatively thin, forcing the roots of old vines — some having survived more than a century of vintages, frosts, and droughts — to drive deep into bedrock for sustenance. These century-old roots nourish the extraordinary concentration, complexity, and depth of this wine. Few dare say it openly, whisper the best-informed enthusiasts, but Le Grand Maupertui is probably superior to Richebourg.

Tasting profile

The colour is deep, luminous purple with the density and velvety lustre characteristic of great Côte de Nuits vintages. The nose reveals immediate complexity and seduction: highly floral aromas of iris, peony, violet, and fresh rose assert themselves with a delicacy and elegance more reminiscent of Chambolle-Musigny than Clos Vougeot, before ripe dark fruits emerge — well-ripened cherry, plum, blueberry, blackcurrant — accompanied by notes of flint, sweet spice of liquorice and clove, with a subtle meaty and stewed character announcing tertiary evolution to come. On the palate, the balance achieves rare amplitude and fullness: character, power, and harmony align over a perfectly velvet texture, profound mineral structure, and silky tannins of exceptional grain. The finish is endless, racy, and persistent, with aromatic depth that continues to unfold long after the glass is set down. A great wine for cellaring, to be kept patiently and drunk over the next twenty years.

The domaine

Anne Gros comes from one of the Côte de Nuits's oldest winemaking families — the Gros family has been present in Vosne-Romanée since 1830. She took the helm of the family domaine in 1988 at barely eighteen, bringing her sensibility, rigour, and professionalism to 6.5 hectares spread across Bourgogne, Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée, and three Grand Crus: Les Loachausses in Échézeaux, Le Grand Maupertui in Clos Vougeot, and Richebourg. She is also partner with Jean-Paul Tollot on fine terroirs in Minervois in Languedoc. Winemaking is traditional and precise: complete destemming, fermentation with native yeasts in lined concrete vats at controlled temperatures, gentle extraction via measured punch-downs and pump-overs, fermentation of 12 to 15 days, then 12 months ageing in 500-litre barrels with 30 to 40 per cent new oak — a measured proportion that brings complexity and structure without ever masking terroir purity. Her production, extremely limited, ranks among the most sought-after on the Côte de Nuits.

Food pairing

This Clos Vougeot Grand Cru Le Grand Maupertui calls for the finest tables. It pairs sublimely with roasted capon with spiced parsnips glazed with honey, civet of hare with Burgundian truffle, Wagyu beef fillet with morel jus, duck à l'orange, or game birds such as woodcock on croûte. Anne Gros herself emphasises the interest of tasting her wines in their youth, but for this Grand Maupertui, a minimum two-hour decant is essential, and a few additional years of cellaring will reveal confited and tertiary aromas of haunting depth. Served between 15 and 17°C, it will gradually unveil all the grandeur and complexity of one of Burgundy's greatest terroirs.