The 2016 Hautes Cotes de Nuits Rouge offers lifted red fruit, slightly confit in style, on the nose that would benefit from a little more tension. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, fresher and more tensile than the Bourgogne Rouge this year, with a short but "punchy" dark cherry and cassis-tinged finish. Drink over the next 3 or 4 years.

The 2015 Hautes C?tes de Nuits Rouge is matured in three-year-old barrels. I probably prefer the aromatics here vis-à-vis the Bourgogne Rouge, offering soft red cherries and crushed strawberry scents. The palate is smooth and harmonious, offering ample crisp red cherry and strawberry fruit, and leading to a detailed and precise finish that is a delight. This comes recommended - an excellent wine from Michel Gros.

The 2014 Hautes C?tes de Nuits Rouge has a lovely bouquet that for me contains more fruité and depth than the Bourgogne Rouge from Michel. The palate is rounded on the entry with tart cherry fruit, a slight bitterness lending poise, with fine definition on the finish. This is a lovely Hautes C?tes from Michel Gros. Recommended.

The 2013 Hautes C?tes de Nuits Rouge is matured in one-year old barrels. The nose shows a little more cohesion and purity than the Bourgogne Rouge, displaying scents of blackberry and pomegranate. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, bright balsamic-tinged red fruit and a brisk finish. Fine.

The 2012 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Rouge benefitted from the clement late weather and was picked between the 5 and 10 October. It sports a healthy deep ruby color. The nose is fragrant and nicely poised with cranberry and blackcurrant aromas that seem quite intense at this stage. The palate is a little tough on the entry. This is underpinned by bold and quite firm tannins, the fruit pushed down into second place after the structure on the finish, but that will surface with time. It is a question of whether consumers will afford this 18-24 months bottle age – hopefully they will. 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).