The handful of critics that whine about Mme. Leroy's wines all tasting the same should go to the trouble of acquiring and tasting her wines rather than repeating some of Burgundy's most appalling and viscous rumors. The proof is in the pudding, as her intense line-up of distinctly different 1995 Nuits demonstrates. Aromatically spicy and flinty , the dark-colored Nuits-St.-Georges Aux Allots is a superb, masculine, four-square, minerally, cassis and blueberry-filled, medium-to-full bodied, powerful hunk of a wine. Anticipated maturity: 2000-2007. 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: Martine's Wines, San Raphael, CA; tel. (415) 485-1800.

A hint of beetroot on the nose. The palate is sweet and lively, Honest and fun but clearly not a Grand Cru. (JR)