Spices, roasted oak, and ripe blackberries can be discerned in the aromatic profile of the sweet, satin-textured 2002 Nuits-St.-Georges Les Chaignots. Sappy textured due to its superb ripeness, this effort displays outstanding elegance and purity. It is exceptionally well-balanced, angle-free, and a great example of a civilized, fruit-forward Nuits-St.-Georges. Projected maturity: now-2012. Importer: A Peter Vezan Selection, Paris fax #011-33-1-42-55-42-93

Full ruby-red. Blackberry and minerals on the nose, with lovely floral lift. Dense, sweet and juicy, with exuberant, sharply delineated flavors of black fruits, violet and bitter chocolate. This struck me as quite Vosne-like. Offers an uncanny combination of class and sheer sweetness and texture. A splendid Nuits wine, with a very fine, very long finish.

Proper red burgundy. Very much the product of the vintage rather than of winemaking technique. Lots of pure, if unsubtle, fruit. Racy. (JR)