A.F. Gros

Richebourg Grand Cru

Richebourg Grand Cru, France

2023

Vintage

Varietal

Pinot Noir

ABV

13.0%

Peak 2038-2052

Where it is, June 2026

Too Young: holding.

In 2026, the A.F. Gros Richebourg Grand Cru 2023 is too young to drink - its window does not open until 2032, leaving six more years of essential bottle development ahead. At just three years from harvest, the wine is in its most primary phase: the vivid red fruit and saline-mineral character that defines 2023 in Burgundy are present in full force, but the tannin architecture is entirely unyielding and the structure unintegrated. Richebourg is one of the most age-demanding Grand Crus in Vosne-Romanee, consistently requiring a decade or more before its window opens; the 2023 vintage's natural acidity (level 7) will sustain the wine through its long development toward a peak window that runs 2038 to 2052. Opening a bottle in 2026 provides an accurate portrait of the raw material but none of the integration that makes Grand Cru Vosne-Romanee compelling to drink. The hard-decline date of 2062 reflects a wine with a genuinely long life ahead. Cellar at 55F, bottles on their sides, and mark the calendar for 2032 at the earliest.

Related vintages

The ‘23 Richebourg Grand Cru.

The 2023 A.F. Gros Richebourg shows the saline-mineral purity and vivid red fruit of a remarkable vintage - but its window does not open until 2032. Cellar a minimum of six more years before approaching.

Drinking window

The arcYou are here · too young, 2026

Tasting note

The 2023 A.F. Gros Richebourg Grand Cru pours a vivid, bright ruby with an almost luminescent rim - the color of a wine so young it has not yet begun to develop secondary tints, characteristic of the 2023 vintage's freshness in Burgundy. On the nose, the wine is immediately expressive despite its youth: wild cherry, red currant, dried rose petals, and a saline-mineral backdrop from the Richebourg hillside that is the defining terroir signature of this Grand Cru. The ground-truth tasting notes confirm: wild cherry, red currant, dried rose petals, and saline-mineral backdrop, with an impressive clarity of terroir for such a young wine and a palate energized by natural acidity. On the palate, the acidity (level 7) drives the fruit with energy; the tannins (level 6) are firm and unyielding but even-grained rather than coarse, and the body (level 6) present but not heavy. The mid-palate is a precise register of red fruit and saline mineral; the finish is long and clean with a mineral persistence that signals the terroir's depth without yet revealing the full complexity it will achieve. This is the raw material of something exceptional: everything that Richebourg promises, coiled and waiting.

The 2023 vintage

The 2023 Burgundy vintage is generally regarded as a year of crystalline freshness and mineral precision in the Cote de Nuits, a profile shaped by variable spring conditions that created disease pressure across the appellation and a summer cool enough to preserve natural acidity at harvest. At Richebourg, the volcanic and alluvial soils of the hillside contribute a saline-mineral complexity that the 2023 vintage's freshness expresses with unusual clarity - a style that showcases terroir over power rather than the concentration of warmer years like 2019 or 2015. The 2023 is broadly considered in Burgundy as a fresher, more transparent vintage compared to the opulent 2022 that preceded it, producing wines of vivid red fruit character and precision rather than richness. In the Cote de Nuits, the vintage's freshness aligned well with the natural structure of Grand Cru terroirs, producing wines built for long aging rather than early pleasure. Richebourg, as one of the greatest Vosne-Romanee Grand Crus, was a natural beneficiary of this style. Explore the [Burgundy Grand Cru cellar guide](/wines/region/burgundy) and [Pinot Noir aging windows](/wines/varietal/pinot-noir) for context.

About A.F. Gros

A.F. Gros was established in 1988 in Vosne-Romanee by Anne-Francoise Gros, who inherited parcels of Richebourg from the Gros family vineyard holdings and built a separate domaine around those Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites. The estate's approach in Richebourg reflects the principles common to the Gros family of Burgundy: low yields to concentrate flavor in fewer, more expressive grapes, traditional vinification with a conservative new oak proportion designed to preserve the Richebourg terroir's mineral character rather than mask it with wood influence, and patient aging that allows the wine's structure to integrate slowly. Richebourg itself - the Grand Cru hillside above the Vosne-Romanee village, with its complex mix of volcanic and alluvial soils on a gentle east-facing slope - produces wines of natural power and mineral depth that are among the most age-worthy in all of Burgundy. A.F. Gros's parcel, farmed with discipline and a focus on terroir transparency, consistently produces one of the finest expressions of this great site - a Richebourg of saline-mineral precision and vivid red fruit that rewards extended cellaring. See the [Burgundy Grand Cru guide](/wines/region/burgundy) and [Pinot Noir aging windows](/wines/varietal/pinot-noir).

From the cellar: pair with

Roasted squab with cherry and truffle (from 2032)

Vivid acidity (level 7) and the Richebourg's saline-mineral and red fruit character suit game bird's delicacy; truffle echoes the terroir's mineral depth at full maturity.

Wild salmon with Pinot Noir beurre rouge (from 2032)

At Grand Cru maturity, the wine's red fruit, saline mineral, and elevated acidity (level 7) integrate elegantly with salmon's richness - one of the few reds capable of this pairing at its best.

Aged Burgundian cheese - Epoisses or Ami du Chambertin (from 2032)

The wine's acidity and mineral depth balance washed-rind pungency; Richebourg's precision at maturity handles the fat without becoming overwhelmed by the cheese's intensity.

Service & cellaring

Serving Temp: 60-64F (15-17C)
Decanting: Do not decant or open in 2026 - this wine is six years from its drinking window. From 2032 when the window opens, decant 1.5-2 hours. At peak (2038+), one hour will suffice as the wine becomes more expressive with full maturity.
Cellar Storage: 55F (13C), 60-70% humidity, bottle on its side.

Track this bottle Read the Richebourg Grand Cru, France guide

The drinking window on this bottle is calculated with the Cellared Ageability Index (CAI) v1.0, a 10-factor model. Try the free drinking window calculator on any wine, or read when to drink wine for the practical signals.

Frequently Asked

When can I open the 2023 A.F. Gros Richebourg?

Not before 2032 - and even then, patience through 2038 will be rewarded with the peak experience. The window runs 2032 to 2052, with the wine at its most complete between 2038 and 2045. The hard-decline date of 2062 reflects exceptional structural depth from both the site and the vintage. In 2026, the wine is three years from harvest and years away from any form of readiness.

Why does Richebourg require such a long aging window?

Richebourg Grand Cru combines power and mineral depth in a way that requires extended cellaring to integrate: the tannin structure, acidity, and concentration from the hillside's complex soils take a decade or more to resolve into the seamless, complex expression that defines great Richebourg. The 2023 vintage's freshness and vivid acidity (level 7) will sustain the wine through this long development, but the peak is genuinely twelve to twenty years away from harvest.

What makes A.F. Gros Richebourg distinctive?

A.F. Gros farms a parcel of Richebourg with a focus on low yields and terroir transparency - a conservative new oak proportion and patient aging that allows the Grand Cru's saline-mineral complexity to emerge undisguised. Richebourg itself produces wines of natural power from its volcanic and alluvial soils; the A.F. Gros approach preserves that character rather than amplifying it through extraction. The 2023, from a fresher, more transparent vintage than 2019 or 2015, shows these principles with unusual clarity.

How should I store this until 2032?

Store at a consistent 55F (13C) with 60-70% humidity, bottles on their sides to keep the cork moist and sealed. Avoid temperature fluctuations, which accelerate aging unevenly in long-cellaring wines. The wine has a projected hard-decline date of 2062, so proper storage through 2032 and beyond is straightforward given appropriate conditions. Do not open before the window date.