Readers who travel to Europe should look for Marcel Lapierre's 1997 Vin de Table (it was not purchased by Kermit Lynch). This super-dark purple, almost black, wine had to be declassified to vin de table status because it was not deemed typical of the appellation. Harvested from Lapierre's ripest parcel, this is a benchmark-setting Beaujolais, even though it is ironically not entitled to bear the name. Massively ripe, dense, dark fruits can be discerned in this wine's sur-maturite-laced nose. It is chewy, deep, dense, broad, and mouth-coating. Blackberries, plums, and black cherries are intertwined with flavors reminiscent of raw meat in this concentrated and powerful wine. Its fruit-packed and ripe tannin-filled, extensive finish auger a stupendous future for this Beaujolais. Projected maturity: 2001-2009.Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524.