Michel Gros Hautes Cotes de Nuits Fontaine Saint Martin Monopole 2020

"It took more than 40 years for Jean Gros, and then Michel to put back together the unique parcel of Fontaine Saint Martin in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, around the village of Arcenant.
This hillside slope of 7 hectares, facing east-south-east like the Côte de Nuits, rises in tiers at an elevation between 350 and 390 m. The vineyard overlooks the small valley and the Cistercian abbey of Lieu-Dieu des Champs. This abbey for nuns, founded about 1127, owned vines on this hillside. After the total destruction of the vineyard by phylloxera at the end of the XIXth century, the parcel of vines was largely overgrown by the forest.
Jean, then Michel, undertook clearing and reclaiming the parcel from 1976. Michel planted 4 hectares in Pinot Noir between 1981 and 1986, then the remaining 3 hectares in Chardonnay from 1987. These plantings were completed with the last parcel of 1 hectare, acquired in 2007 before replanting in 2009.
The soil is made up of mixed limestone and marls from the Upper Oxfordian (Jurassic) Period. This geological stage is to be found again on the Hill of Corton situated 5 km to the south. This soil structure is commonly called “Marls of Pernand”, from the name of the village of Pernand Vergelesses, located at the foot of the Hill of Corton.
This vineyard which is planted next to the Pinot Noir parcel is trained exactly the same way. The soil, which is mainly composed of marl in this area, is perfectly suitable for Chardonnay. The pruning used here is Guyot simple. It is located at an altitude reaching 360m to 380m, on so-called "Pernand marls". This geological stratum, that is also present in Pernand-Vergelesses and the hill of Corton, explains the similarity with wines from these vineyard areas, the altitude bringing a little more freshness." -Winery notes