The 2008 Saint Amour Domaine des Sablons – also still in tank when tasted – is alluringly scented with heliotrope; brims with tart cherry and red currant; is delicate to the touch yet glossy, refined, and engaging in texture; and finishes with invigorating refreshment. Consistent in style and amazingly low in price, the myriad Beaujolais bottlings of George Duboeuf continue to represent outstanding values in the American marketplace. In April, I tasted nearly their entire range of 2008s, with few exceptions, already bottled. The overwhelming majority of these made my cut as value recommendations, including some – from among that wide range of domaines with which Duboeuf has long-standing commercial relationships – that might not show up in the U.S. market. The so-called “Selections Georges Duboeuf” cuvees continue to bear a variation on this negociant’s signature flower labels, but to save space in our print edition, please assume that any wine not otherwise designated refers to a member of that class. In general, I have preferred DuBoeuf’s Beaujolais bottlings in their youth, with a few of the domaine crus having exhibited with bottle age a complexity concomitant with the effort to cellar them, and where not otherwise noted, my recommendation is to enjoy the following wines over the next couple of years. The Duboeuf 2008 Beaujolais-Villages – at 30,000 cases, representing their largest single lot of wine, and twice the volume of their appellation Beaujolais – was a bit green and rustic by comparison, and multiple bottles of a Chateau des Vierres bottling were oddly inexpressive and drying on the occasion of my visit. Duboeuf’s flower label 2008 Fleurie is another of their wines of this vintage that is atypically austere, and in this instance a bit much so, and their 2008 Fleurie Domaine des Quatre Vents and Fleurie Chateau des Bachelards were a bit drying and rough under the influence both of its barrel component and its very recent bottling when I tasted it.Importer: William Deutsch & Son Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463

True partisans of highly-extracted, muscular, full-bodied, ageworthy Beaujolais will have to check out the 1995 Domaine des Sablons St.-Amour. It is one of the biggest, richest, and most formidably-endowed of Georges Duboeuf's 1995s. The color is an opaque purple. The wine is rich, full, and massive in the mouth. Deep, with plenty of sweet fruit, but still unevolved, and youthful, this supple, muscular, exceptionally concentrated Beaujolais should drink well for the next 5-6 years. Certainly it could easily be inserted in a blind tasting with $35-$50 a bottle premiers crus from Burgundy. I would not be surprised to see it show exceptionally well.Late-released 1995 Beaujolais from the king of that region, Georges Duboeuf, the offerings reviewed in this section possess slightly more intensity and fullness than the early-released wines that were reviewed in issue #105. They are fine bargains that offer 2-3 years of drinkability, and in the case of fuller, more powerful styles, 4-5 years.Importers: William Deutsch, Armonk, NY; tel. (914) 273-1221 and Winesellers, Ltd., Skokie, IL; tel. (708) 679-0121

This extremely floral, red fruit-scented wine exhibits deep color, excellent ripeness, a long, medium to full-bodied, chewy texture, good acidity, and a spicy, well-endowed finish. Drink it over the next 1-2 years.Importers: William Deutsch & Sons, Chappaqua, NY and Wine Sellers, Skokie, IL.