The 2016 Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Clos des Reas has one of the most ebullient and vivacious bouquets from Michel Gros this year with red cherries, wild strawberries and a touch of blood orange in the mix. The palate is very well balanced with fine tannin, crisp acidity, plentiful tart red fruit with a fine structure that does not dominate toward the finish. Excellent.

The 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Clos des Réas, matured in 60% new oak, has slightly more fruité on the nose compared to the Aux Br?lées at the moment and that means it supports the new oak better, comes across better balanced. The palate is medium-bodied with a little chewiness and sinew on the entry. There is good body here, quite a dense Clos des Réas, albeit with a lot of new oak driving the finish home in lieu of precision or mineralité. Like the Aux Br?lées, I will cross my fingers and hope that the oak will be assimilated with requisite bottle age. We will see.

The 2014 Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Clos des Réas comes from Michel's triangular, walled monopole towards the south of the village. It has a slight stemminess on the nose that is nicely defined, very natural, the fruit black rather than red, evolving a light marine accent with time. The palate is energetic and tensile on the entry with blackcurrant, raspberry and a touch of bitter lemon towards the chalky textured finish. This is quite a complex Clos des Réas this year from Michel and one I look forward to revisiting once in bottle.

The 2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Clos des Réas, which like all Michel’s premier crus sees 50% new oak, has a slightly higher-toned bouquet compared with the Aux Br?lées: small dark cherries, cassis and iodine. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasing, grainy texture. Here, the dense black fruit mask the structure underneath that gives this a Malconsorts personality. It does not have enormous length at the moment but it is nicely focused.

The 2012 Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Clos des Reas, Michel Gros’s famous monopole to the south of Vosne-Romanee village, has a complex, mineral driven bouquet with black rather than red fruit, touches of gingerbread and marmalade loitering with intent in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, fine tannins and good purity of fruit. It is harmonious and focused with a gentle build to what feels like a structured, saline finish reminiscent of the sea. This is a very fine Clos des Reas: one of the finest and perhaps overlooked premier crus of the appellation. It is always a pleasure to see Michel Gros, with his bushy moustache and face that always reminds me of Bruce Forsythe had the TV star become a winemaker in Vosne-Romanee. “Spring was difficult because of mildew and oidium,” Michel explained as we tasted in his office. “We had to do 13 treatments during the year, which is the most we have ever done. It was difficult finding time to get into the vineyard and apply treatments. In the end the crop was 25% down, about 30hl/ha due to the poor flowering and coulure.” The harvest started on 21 September and finished on 3 October in the Hautes Cotes. As usual, Michel practices a warm fermentation that reached 35 degrees during maceration. “C’etait un vinification facile,” he tells me. I always enjoy Michel’s wine and I agree with the point made in Remington Norman/Charles Taylor MW “The Great Domaines of Burgundy” that stylistically they sit comfortably between the pure, elegant style off Anne Gros and the richer, burlier style of Bernard Gros. His 2012s really hit their stride when we get to Vosne-Romanee, including his monopole Clos des Reas and like Anne, Michel has overseen an exquisite Clos de Vougeot this year. Overall, I found much more to savor in these nascent wines than the 2011s and given their reasonable price tags, come recommended. Importer: Martin Scott Wines; www.martinscottwines.com and also through Thorman Hunt (UK).