The 2012 Vosne-Romanee Villages has a gently perfumed nose with sous-bois scents infusing the dark-cherry fruit – quite earthy compared to its peers. The palate is a little aggressive on the entry: quite bold tannins, assertive and structured, although it lacks a little fleshiness toward the finish. Drink 2015-2021. Located in the heart of Vosne, adjacent to the original Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, lies Domaine Regis Forey. Regis’ great-grandfather by the same name founded the domaine in 1840 and the current Regis at the helm took over the 4.5 hectares of vineyard in 1987. In my experience, the wines have been traditionally made, but generally well-crafted. He also is one of the handful of producers who make a Les Gaudichots from a parcel of vines planted in 1930. These samples had been in bottle for one month. (Readers should note that a retrospective of Forey’s wines is in the pipeline.) Importer: Neal Rosenthal, New York, NY; www.madrose.com

The 2010 Vosne-Romanee is the most interesting and complete of the four village-level wines in Forey’s portfolio. It possesses lovely textural finesse and delineation in its attractive notes of plum, black cherries and spices. I tasted the Vosne from both a new and one-year-old barrel and came away with the impression that even the wine in the new barrel had more than enough density to stand up to the oak. The Vosne is made from an assortment of parcels on the northern side of the village. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2020. This is a terrific set of wines from Regis Forey. Quality is strong throughout the range, but Forey has really done a stellar job with his top 1er Crus and Grand Crus, where the wines truly sing. This is one domaine where the quality difference between 2009 and 2010 is quite striking. My strong preference is for the 2010s. I tasted a few of the 2010 village wines from bottle, and the rest of the wines from barrel. The wines in barrel had not been racked. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

The 2009 Vosne-Romanee is a superb entry-level wine loaded with village character. Dark cherries, spices and menthol are some of the notes that flow from this richly flavored Vosne. Sweet balsamic nuances linger on the finish. This is a totally irresistible wine at its level. Most of the vineyards are located close to Clos de Vougeot. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2020. Regis Forey began harvesting on September 13. His wines did a total of eight(!) weeks of cuvaison, by far the lengthiest vinifications of any grower I visited. Forey used 100% new oak for all of his 1ers and Grands Crus. The wines were bottled between December, 2010 and February, 2011 with no fining or filtration. These are unusually open, fruit-driven wines, even within the context of 2009. The Grand Crus are not necessarily better than some of the 1ers. I am not sure how well the wines will age, but in most cases they will certainly deliver considerable pleasure early on. Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990