An aromatic style, this red features cedar, sandalwood, resin and herbal notes complementing the core flavors of cherry. The tannins are present but not overbearing. Gains precision and expressiveness with air. Best from 2019 through 2033. 5 cases imported.??–BS??Region: France / Burgundy / Grands Echézeaux Select to Add

Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Grands Echézeaux Grand Cru has an oaky, bacon fat-scented nose that does not convey the terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with dry tannin, very oaky and meaty, falling a little short on the finish. It might appeal to some who like a more feral style of Grands Echézeaux. Tasted September 2016.

The 2012 Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru offers a more refined bouquet than the Clos de Vougeot with clean and pure fresh strawberry and bergamot scents that are well defined. The palate is crisp on the entry with touches of orange zest penetrating the dark berry fruit, cruising along towards and enjoyable spicy finish that linger long in the mouth. Fine. 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

Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. There is a touch of reduction on the nose of Bernard Gros’s Grands Echézeaux 2011: subtle scents of blackcurrant leaf and raspberry, briary, juniper and then more pastilles notes as it opens up. The palate is medium-bodied with touches of oak coming through on the entry (coffee and dark chocolate) with the finish a little overworked. There is lot of punchy oak here and I wonder if there is sufficient fruit for it to pull through. A guilty pleasure!