Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg 2014
This is my second time trying a Richebourg from the Gros family-previously, I’d tasted one from AF (Anne-Françoise Gros), and the first Frère et Sœur was a 2020 brought to a blind tasting. None of my friends guessed it correctly!
The 2020 showed ultra-fine tannins, bursting with floral aromas (violets and roses) after just an hour, and the perfume lingered for over four hours. If not for the blind bag, many would’ve mistaken it for a rising-star winemaker’s work.It had layers of plum, cherry, and a hint of Indian spices, with a subtle mineral note—something I didn’t find in this 2014.
Now, the 2014:
- Upon opening: Notes of cooked meat and blackcurrant (I wondered if temperature fluctuations during storage had affected it).
- After 2 hours of decanting: Secondary and tertiary aromas emerged—cinnamon, smoke, cedar, and cigar box, with only faint fruitiness. A stark contrast to the floral-dominated 2020, which I personally preferred.
I re-corked it and waited until dinner. At the 4-hour mark:
- The tannins turned silky-smooth.
- Flavors of red fruit, black pepper, and a touch of umami (mushroom and savory notes).
- Acidity:Well-balanced. The wine was cleanly made, though the aromatics faded slightly by then.
Overall, a very solid bottle, but next time, I’d love to compare it with a 1990s vintage to see how it ages! — 3 months ago
This is simply delightful, bloody awesome actually.
Typical Napa-purity and dito density, yet laced with Bdx-like treble-notes of freshness, acidity and transparency.
Served it alongside maigret/parsnip/anise-jus, but liked it better before and after this fantastic dish.
Score might be on the conservative side… — 9 months ago
Opened yesterday. The nose is very syrahesque right now with blackberry, black pepper, violette, and almost a tiny touch of black truffle. The palate is fresh, broad, with a nice blackberry and pepper typical note, a very soft mouthfeel, some good grip in the rear and that tannic layer carries on over the finish. The finish is long and fruity with the same peppery and blackberry notes, but a tiny bitter note comes about in the end to lift the wine. It's fresh and lively and not really muscular like some Rhône example can be. The vineyard is planted at 600m above see level so maybe this is the reason. It's great stuff from Hervé Bizeul.
I tasted it 2 months ago with friends in a social setting and liked it a tad bit less than now. — 2 months ago
Nice blend, semi-sweet, hint of cherry, paired well with duck. — 8 months ago
Joe DAscoli
Used the Durand on the cork - soaked to the edge. Decanted for 2 hours.
This wine had some gaminess. Smooth. Fruit was a bit wild and overpowered by the savory flavors.
Paired well with the chicken skewers and onions. Needed complex flavors in the food to pair well.
Good but quite a bit below the Beaucastel — 3 hours ago