"White wine is my work, red wine is my passion," said Francois Barmes. With this he poured me the finest Alsatian red I have had to date. The 1997 Pinot Noir Vieilles Vignes was produced from 36 year old vines in the grand cru Hengst vineyard at yields that pay homage to Lalou Bize-Leroy - 20 hectoliters per hectare! Readers who cannot believe that Alsace is capable of producing first rate reds need to taste this impressive wine. After a 5 day cold maceration and a 3 week long fermentation, Barmes placed the wine in 100% new oak and performed batonnages until the malo-lactic fermentation started. In an attempt at promoting richness, Barmes topped off the barrels with lees throughout the wine's 13 month elevage. The resulting wine is medium-to-dark ruby-colored and exhibits blackberry, plum, spicy oak, as well as smoked bacon aromas. Waxy cherries, coffee, and black fruits are found in this medium-to-full-bodied, intensely flavored, chewy-textured, concentrated, and dense wine. Impressive!Importer: A Peter Vezan Selection, (Paris Fax # 011-33-1-42-55-42-93), various American importers, including: Barriques Wines, Chicago, IL; tel (773) 275-1200; Dionysus Imports, Lorton, VA; tel (703) 751-9416; North Berkeley Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel (800) 266-6585.