A Beaujolais producer I had never heard of took me to court for not reviewing his wine.

And these days one of the only people in the "race" is Georges Duboeuf, a major Beaujolais producer.

This year, several Beaujolais producers, notably Georges Duboeuf, also offer a gamay nouveau.

And like them, it will never cause any French Burgundy or Beaujolais producers to lose a night's sleep.

Georges Duboeuf, the Beaujolais producer, is almost synonymous with wine values.

Nevertheless, there are signs that this great marketing ploy has run its course and that those years of hype have come back to haunt Beaujolais producers.

Beaujolais producers are optimistic about every vintage, but growers like Mr. Jacquet are comparing 2003 to legendary years like 1989, 1976, 1947 and 1929.

Beaujolais producers can make 1,743 gallons from each hectare.

The Beaujolais producers have labored long to project an image of rusticity and simplicity for their wine.