Technical Notes Michel plants a mix of selected vines as well as clones and farms his vineyards according to lutte raisonee. To maintain proper yields, Michel prefers to prune short and rubs off excess buds early in the season. At harvest, the fruit is hand-sorted in the vineyard and then entirely de-stemmed. Vinification takes place in a variety of vats, mainly cement, following a gentle crushing of about half of the fruit. To encourage immediate fermentation, Michel adds selected yeasts and the wines are pumped over twice daily. After a cuvaison of 10-12 days the wines are transferred to barrel where they mature for 18-23 months in wood. Like his father, Michel uses heavily toasted, 100% new oak Troncais barrels from Tonnellerie Rousseau for Clos de Reas. The wines are racked once after malolactic fermentation and, after aging, the barrels of each appellation are racked again and blended in tank where they are fined with egg white and held until bottling in late August.

Additional Notes Clos des Reas was purchased by Alphonse Gros in 1860 and has remained within the family since its acquisition. The vineyard is located on the hillock that overhangs the small Reas valley. The wall of this triangular parcel borders the village of Vosne-Romanee on the east. A monumental portal stands in its middle. A small, ancient house marks the north corner next to the Town Hall square. The geological stratum of the subsoil is a Salmon conglomerate on the Oligocene strata with many limestone blocks alternated with marl. This soil profile, along with the slope, ensures excellent drainage. The marl lends a silky character to the tannins of the wine, elegance to its perfume, and mild acidity, which make it approachable in its youth.