Oaken Cooperage-American versus French

The selection of the proper wine aging barrel is a big dicesion in wine country. The winemaster at this winery prefers the French made barrels as they do not impart strong flavorings into the wine due in part to the tighter grain. The winery uses both and the photos reflect one of each nationality. The American made barrels have a more open grain, allowing more of the precious vintage to seep into the wood and impart a more distinct flavoring. The barrels are used multiple times (approximately 10 times at this vineyard) and thus, in my thinking after you get past the first couple of uses things should be about the same---of course I probably couldn't taste the difference anyway..... Prices? The American-made barrels are $400 each and the French-made barrels are $1,000 each (I guess they do have some national pride).