Among the Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages cuvees, this is a top offering. The wine exhibits plenty of sweet, ripe, cherry/berry fruit, good acidity, and light to medium body. The Domaine du Granit Bleu is elegant. Beaujolais should be drunk slightly chilled. Given the crisp acidity found in many 1995s, I suspect this wine will drink well for 2-3 years. Unless a vintage is undeniably superb (which 1995 is not), readers are best advised to drink most Beaujolais within 24-36 months of the vintage.Georges Duboeuf's wines are represented on the East Coast by W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd., Armonk, NY; tel. (914) 273-1221, fax (914) 273-1291, and on the West Coast by Winesellers Ltd., Skokie, IL,; tel (708) 679-0121, fax (708) 679-2017.

The Domaine du Granite Bleu has always been one of my favorite Duboeuf domaines. The 1994 reveals a medium to dark ruby color, a sweet nose of red and black fruits, wonderfully ripe, heady flavors with lovely purity, low acidity, medium to full body, and a generous, heady finish. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.

The super-ripe 1993 Beaujolais Villages Domaine Granit Bleu exhibits an impressively deep color, a beautiful nose of cherries and cassis, excellent depth, medium body, and a lovely, ripe, intense finish suggestive of low yields and old vines. It is a seamless, silky-textured Beaujolais for drinking over the next 2 years.As in 1991, the Beaujolais region was able to harvest nearly two-thirds of its crop under splendid weather conditions, escaping most of the damage caused by the deluges that swept across France. The "King of Beaujolais," Georges Duboeuf, has recently released many of his flower label bottlings and separate domaine bottlings of 1993 Beaujolais. They are once again excellent wines that represent terrific values. Recent medical news that moderate red wine consumption can have positive health benefits should help increase the sale and consumption of Beaujolais! After years of ignoring my advice, even my teetotalling mother now consumes a few glasses of Beaujolais each day. High quality, low prices, and numerous possibilities for pleasure is all there can be said about Duboeuf's first releases from the 1993 vintage!Importers: William Deutsch & Sons, Armonk, NY and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL.

Duboeuf's new releases, which are now appearing, are the 1992s. On paper, 1992 is inferior to 1991. But Duboeuf's stricter selection process, combined with lower prices have made his wines winners again! If retailers, restaurants, and wine writers want to increase consumption of wine in America, one of the best places to start is to encourage consumption of Duboeuf's wines. For the level of quality and pleasure they provide, they are not just good values, they are cheap!My favorite wine from this appellation is the 1992 Beaujolais-Villages-Domaine Granite Bleu. Its terrific nose of cassis and black-cherries leaped from the glass. There is gorgeous richness, plenty of juicy, succulent fruit, and a long, well-balanced, rich, ripe finish.Importers: William Deutsch and Sons, Chappaqua, NY and Wine Sellers, Skokie, IL.

Wow! I love this gorgeous bottle of Beaujolais-Villages named after the blue granite that can be found in the soils of Beaujolais. The huge, sweet, ripe, jammy nose of red and black fruits is followed by an expansive, opulent, gorgeously ripe wine that is stuffed with fresh fruit. The finish is long, heady, and altogether seductive and tasty.Importers: William Deutsch & Sons, Chappaqua, NY and Wine Sellers, Skokie, IL.