This wine is revealing more character than it did last year. The 1999 St.-Joseph Les Royes comes from a vineyard planted on limestone hillsides near the village of Chateaubourg. It is an exceptional, opaque purple-colored effort, possessing a fabulous perfume of black currant fruit intermixed with cherry liqueur, licorice, smoke, and minerals. The new oak is totally integrated, and the wine is textured, full-bodied, and impressive. This opulent St.-Joseph should drink well for a decade or more. Bravo! This forward-thinking producer is fashioning modern-styled wines aged in a combination of new and old oak. Importer: Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel. (908) 771-9082