Domaine Anne Gros Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc Cuvee Marine, Burgundy, France 2024

“Cuvée Marine” Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc 2024 is a beautifully distinctive Burgundy Chardonnay, especially interesting because it comes from Concœur, high above Vosne-Romanée, rather than from the Côte de Beaune. Anne Gros planted the Chardonnay here in the late 1990s after recognizing the potential of the cool, limestone-rich site. The parcel is about 1 hectare of Chardonnay, at roughly 400 meters elevation, with marine fossils in the soil, hence “Cuvée Marine.”

The 2024 vintage is particularly appealing: cool and fresh, with the high elevation giving the wine plenty of tension. Expect lemon, green apple, white flowers, pineapple and passion fruit, followed by a distinctly saline, iodine and oyster-shell character. The palate is lean, energetic and mineral rather than rich or buttery.

It receives about 12 months in 500-liter barrels, with roughly 30% new oak, which adds texture and subtle spice without dominating the fruit.