The newest addition to Domaine Jayer-Gilles' vineyards, the dark-colored Nuits-St.-Georges Les Hauts Poirets, reveals explosive aromatics of roasted cassis fruit and delicious, thick-textured, super-ripe, deep, dark, layered, intense cassis flavors. Tannic, but possessing the requisite fruit and structure for balance, this beauty will be at its peak between 2001-2009. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. The wine was tasted from cask, not bottle. Pinot Noir, a fragile varietal, reacts poorly to fining, filtration, and careless bottling techniques, I recommend caution when considering buying a red burgundy based on cask samples. I called it as I tasted it, and hope the bottled wine reflects the quality of the samples I was provided. Importer: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083.