The Vosne-Romanee Les Orveaux displays blackcurrents and toasty oak on the nose, and intensely explosive flavors of dark fruits and smoke in its medium-to-full-bodied, rustic mouth. At this stage it is a severe wine, with hard tannins buttressing the fruit. If the fruit outlives the tannin it will merit an excellent rating. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2009. 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. Mongeard believes the 1995 vintage is better than 1990, and said it reminded him of 1985 but with more structure. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Chester, VT; tel. (802) 875-2139.