WTN: Recent tastes

2005 A. et P. de Villaine, Bourgogne Blanc Les Clous:
Racy sounds about right; solid chardonnay without a lot of extras from oak and special yeast, drinking nicely now but has a lot of promise.

1999 Dom. Bizot, Vosne-Romanee VV:
St. Joseph on both the nose and palate; no Vosne spice, plenty of black and green olive and a texture that is halfway between pinot and syrah. Not a bad wine but one so atypical that I have to look twice at the label. Could oak staves that weren’t well dried do this?

2005 Philippe Faury, St. Joseph:
Olives on the nose with good syrah fruit and some spice; elegant but intense in the mouth with clear flavors and lovely balance; medium length, very clean finish. 12.8% abv., very St. Joseph and faultless balance – what more can one ask?

2005 Luneau-Papin, Muscadet Clos des Allées:
Showing very well; richer aromatics than one expects for Muscadet, etched and deep flavors of citrus, spring water and pineapple juice, concentrated textures and considerable sustain. Hard to wait any longer to drink, although I’m sure it will age well.

1999 Dom. des Remizières, Hermitage Cuvée Emilie:
Completely resolved, wonderful balance and very fine grained; perhaps, a more feminine style than Chave, for instance, but utterly charming and one beautiful syrah.

2005 Edmunds St. John, Syrah Bassetti Vnyd.:
A completely different wine then it was seven months ago; no longer that barrel sample character, this has thrown a large amount of sediment and is quite closed; much darker smells and flavors and a bit disjointed. This wine, or at least this bottle, was angry about being disturbed. Hold.

2007 Tablas Creek, Cotes du Tablas Blanc:
A blended wine with a good bit of Viognier, this comes across as fresh and clean, lightweight, bright, moderately intense and of medium length. Refreshing and versatile; we had it with several different dishes and it did well. Delightful.

Best, Jim

Nice and varied lineup!
I never see the de Villaines, but every time you post a note I wish I did.
I've given up on getting the '05 ESJ Bassetti, Steve doesn't ship to NY, and local distributor doesn't seem to do the Bassetti (I did get the W-F).
Glad to hear the Remizieres wasn't too glossy/modern, I liked the '95 Emilie (still have one) but thought I'd heard they had gone to "dark side."
Faury, L-P, TC- good stuff.
Thanks as always for the interesting note, and congratulations on your wine.

A&P Villaine Bourgogne Blanc, entry DRC , does it bear any resemblance?

I like Tablas Creek's wine too! Had the 00 Espirit de Beaucastel Rouge and was lovely and spicy indeed!

A&P Villaine Bourgogne Blanc, entry DRC , does it bear any resemblance?

Candidly, I think the de Villaine whites are much easier on the wood - and for me, that is a huge plus.
Best, Jim