François Villard
Mairlant Saint Joseph Syrah
St. Joseph, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
It’s been almost 2 years since my last bottle of this, and the cellaring has been beneficial. Powerful nose shows all sorts of animal and mineral notes. Some pungent tiny berries underneath. A little sponti funk note too. It explodes on the palate. Dense, mouthcoating flavors, but they’re almost electrocuted by the zingy acids on steroids. Loads of tiny, zingy, dark mountain berries. There’s a fair amount of tannin, but they’re very soft and pillowy. Well done. Will last and improve several more years.
It’s been almost 2 years since my last bottle of this, and the cellaring has been beneficial. Powerful nose shows all sorts of animal and mineral notes. Some pungent tiny berries underneath. A little sponti funk note too. It explodes on the palate. Dense, mouthcoating flavors, but they’re almost electrocuted by the zingy acids on steroids. Loads of tiny, zingy, dark mountain berries. There’s a fair amount of tannin, but they’re very soft and pillowy. Well done. Will last and improve several more years.
Oct 5th, 2023Vigorous and youthful, this wine exhibits a lot of cool-climate characteristics. Nose shows intensely pungent crushed granite, inflected with pink grapefruit rind, and zingy, tangy purple berry fruit tucked away in back. Assertive acids and youthful tannins lead off the palate, but there is good concentration of crisp, tangy berry fruit and very nice purity. This needs a couple of years to settle down, but has promising components. Tremendous value.
Vigorous and youthful, this wine exhibits a lot of cool-climate characteristics. Nose shows intensely pungent crushed granite, inflected with pink grapefruit rind, and zingy, tangy purple berry fruit tucked away in back. Assertive acids and youthful tannins lead off the palate, but there is good concentration of crisp, tangy berry fruit and very nice purity. This needs a couple of years to settle down, but has promising components. Tremendous value.
Dec 23rd, 2021