The 2013 Vosne-Romanée Chaumes has a bright raspberry and fresh strawberry bouquet that handles the oak better than the Premier Cru. The palate is medium-bodied with juicy ripe tannins and good density, but the finish feels just a little labored and here the oak is obfuscating the terroir.

The 2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes offers fleshy and slightly degraded red berry fruit on the nose, with touches of forest floor and dried flowers. It takes time just to open up in the glass and it remains a little coy despite coaxing. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry with red cherry, strawberry, raspberry and vanilla notes, segueing into a structured finish dominated by the oak at the moment, leaving a toasty residue on the coffee-tinged aftertaste. Bernard gave me a superb boogie-woogie rendition of “Amazing Grace” on his Steinway, one that Jools Holland would be proud of, following my tasting of 2012s His grand piano, parked in a cavernous annex of his renovated cellar, is truly something to behold. There it stands against the craggy, fissured limestone walls that form a jaw-dropping juxtaposition against what appears to be the dance-floor at Studio 54. I’ve been visiting this address ever since I started in the wine trade and Bernard Gros’s style has remained unchanged during that period. These are big wines lavished in new oak – always have been and maybe always will be. I cannot help feeling that the range would be improved without resorting 100% new oak on every single cuvee from the village Vosne-Romanee upwards and I sometimes question the practice of heating the wines to 40 degrees for 24 hours to give rounder tannins. Is that over-egging an already very tasty cake? The wines are occasionally subjugated by the new wood and my experience of mature bottles suggests that they never quite shake it off, although there are Burgundy lovers who appreciate that style, perhaps in Japan where Bernard enjoys a strong following. When you start reaching the grand crus, in particular the Richebourg, only then you can see that the intense fruit is able to carry the wood and fully absorb it, allowing the terroir to show through. Bernard Gros is one of Vosne-Romanee’s most entertaining winemakers. I just hope that in future vintages he’ll just retreat a little from the cooperage so that we can see his propitious vineyards. Importer: Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

The 2010 Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes currently comes across as quite awkward. There is good definition in the fruit, but not enough depth to stand up to the 100% new oak. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. I tasted all of Bernard Gros’s 2010s from tank, where the wines were settling for the winter. As is his usual custom, Gros concentrated the wines 10-15%, and therefore did not feel the need to chaptalize any of his 2010s. He calls 2010 a good vintage for quality but not the wallet, as yields are down 30-40%. Importer: Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639

The 2009 Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes is richer, riper and more open than the 1er, but it lacks some of that wine’s textural finesse. The Chaumes is an exuberant, generous wine that captures the essence of this radiant year. Kirsch, red cherries and hints of oak linger on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2027. I tasted these wines with Bernard Gros in his underground tasting room, which is part batcave and part piano bar. Towards the end of a long day, a change of pace from the frigid cellars of Burgundy was quite welcome. Bernard Gros harvested on the early side in 2009, which he mostly attributes to the clones he planted beginning in the mid 1980s. The fruit was completely destemmed and yields were around 40 hectoliters per hectare. Cuvaison lasted 10-12 days. After debourbage the wines were racked into new oak barrels. Gros left the wines on their fine lees for 12 months, and did some batonnnage pre-malo. The house style seeks ripeness and textural richness, which every wine I tasted reflected. In his continued search for depth, Gros will sometimes concentrate the wines about 5% or so. All of the 2009s were bottled in February 2011. Gros also showed me all of his grand crus going back to 2006. Notes for those wines will be posted on www.erobertparker.com. Importer: Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639