Candied blackberries, black raspberries, and dark cherries are found in the highly expressive aromas of the 2003 Julienas. As Georges Duboeuf stated after extracting his nose from the glass, “we’re not in Beaujolais anymore, I have no idea where we are, however, as I’ve never experienced a wine like this.” Concentrated, deep, seamless, powerful, and candied, it inundates the palate with intensely sweet, syrupy red cherries that effortlessly linger in its edgeless, sultry, exceptionally long finish. Duboeuf claimed “this will easily last 10 years.” Importer: William Deutsch and Sons, White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463; and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (847) 679-0121

As we brace ourselves for the crush of this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, it’s worth remembering that last year was the year that the region’s most famous negociant described as “the vintage [that] may turn out to be the greatest vintage of my career.” It’s not the nouveau that turns the “may” into a “will”—it’s cru wines like this fragrant, intensely concentrated Julienas. Here, sweet berry fruit fleshes out into a long, vibrant and persistent wine, one that lingers on the palate for an impossibly long time.——P.G.(11/15/2004)—— 90