From above Cros Parantoux, the Gros 2006 Vosne Romanee Les Barreaux displays bright, tart cherry and raspberry, which mingle on the palate with chalk, salt, and fresh ginger. Hints of vanilla and caramel as well as fresh meat reveal themselves as this opens to the air, but it retains brightness, snap, invigoration and energetic interplay in its long finish. Gros says she backed off on new wood only slightly this year vis-a-vis 2005, but in this instance what one notices of oak is more harmoniously integrated than in the 2005 at the same stage. This should be worth following for at least 6-8 years. Anne Gros's 2006s were bottled after only 15 months to preserve the fruit and charm of a vintage she envisages for near-term enjoyment. This is a vintage whose strong suits are characteristics she regularly says she prizes above all – elegance, charm, lift – perhaps one reason why she has been particularly successful. A Peter Vezan Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011 33 1 42 55 42 93