Domaine Anne Gros and Jean-Paul Tollot

THE ESTATE & PHILOSOPHY

Combined of legacy, experience and family tradition 

Burgundy legends, Anne Gros and Jean-Paul Tollot, have combined their 25-year experience and produced wines in Minervois since 2006.  Gros has for decades headed her own estate Vosne-Romanée; her husband, Jean-Paul, hails from the family estate of Tollot-Beaut in Chorey-lès-Beaune.

Vines are cared for according to “lutte raisonée” principles, following organic practices and avoiding chemical treatments as much as possible. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks. Wines are aged, depending on the cru, in a combination of tank and older French oak barrique.

THE REGION

Minervois is an appellation for distinctive red wines from the western Languedoc in Franc. They have owned 15 hectares of vineyards in the region, including one with Carignan vines dating back to 1904 (La Ciaude) and another (Les Carrétals) whose limestone and elevation have reminded Gros of the Grand Cru Richebourg in Vosne-Romanée.

Grapes are able to ripen slowly, preserving their natural acidity and keeping alcohol in the finished wines moderate. The end result is a series of potent, black-fruit-forward wines of amazing elegance. One particular highlight of the estate is a walled plot of 100-year-old Carignan vines.