Just hitting the market and showing youthful spritziness. Ebuillent and bursting with passion fruit, tangerine and stone fruit flavors and aromas. Pretty fruit forward at the moment with the minerality covered up a bit by the sugar. Good weight to it, though it could use a touch more cut. Some nice potential here, but it's in its fun "drink, don't think" phase right now. Low A-.

A bizarre showing, but almost certainly due to the fact that I had just sprayed my face with mosquito repellent and I seemed to have a bit of a reaction to it. The wine smelled like meat and spring onions to me and didn't taste much better. A bottle I had last week, though, was as beautiful as it's always been, with its quince, ginger and mineral profile. It is starting to show signs that it's preparing to go into hibernation soon as recent bottles have been progressively cranky upon opening, needing more and more air time to flesh out. This bottle NR, the one the week before, A.

Served double blind in aluminum foil as a mystery wine. My nose told me that it was Pinot Noir with its aromas of beet juice, red fruit and woodsy elements and I was thinking Burgundy, indeed, that was my first call. However, I got a different story on the palate. Though no one else would agree with me that there was greenness showing, I think they're kidding themselves. It's definitely there along with briary fruit, meat notes and a bit of woodsiness. Quite elegant and silky and while lean, it was not ungenerous. Given the green, spicy and meaty character, it had me thinking West Coast Syrah, which got chuckles out of Jaouen when the wine was revealed, but I was actually more specific, suggesting it might be from Edmunds St. John, which, with its restrained fruit and higher acid levels, is not your typical West Coast Syrah. The wine lacked an olive component and showed more meat, rather than bacon, which is why Cote-Rotie didn't cross my mind. In any case, it was quite enjoyable and probably as good as it's going to be, so now is probably a good time to drink up. B+/A-.

Another double blind wine in aluminum foil. This one was a bit easier than the Rousseau with the intense tobacco and earth components, along with the more red than black fruit, screaming Pauillac to me. I guess a '96 Paullaic and that was because while the wine showed some age, it was still pretty fresh and the tannins were still wearing shit kickers. After the wine was revealed, I was a little surprised as every other bottle I've had has shown an easier disposition with much higher fruit levels. I believe the wine was popped and poured, so that may explain the showing. A-.

From magnum and not a good showing. Flawed and clearly showing something bacterial as there's a foul rotten onion/spoiled meat component that dominates the palate and it's something I've gotten out of some Leon Barral Faugeres bottlings, a biodynamique producer Kermit Lynch works with. Actually, it's a characteristic that I find in a number of "natural" reds from the South of France when something has gone awry. NR.

A little chunky and persnickety at this stage, but there are fine materials here for further development. There's a nice amount of ripe raspberry as well as some blue fruit, plenty of violet floral notes and spice. The Syrah is giving off a bit of a burnt rubber note, but it's not overpowering and should evolve with time. Quite tannic and coarse at the moment, but this really didn't see any air time. I'd lose them in the cellar for a bit and once it integrates some more, there should be some really good things. A-.