Pierre Jean Villa 2017 Saint Joseph "Tilde" 750ml

Deep, brilliant ruby. Intense dark berry, floral and olive paste scents are energized by building mineral and cracked pepper flourishes. Stains the palate with appealingly sweet black and blue fruit, floral pastille, cola and spicecake flavors that show a suave blend of depth and energy. Finishes on an emphatic floral note, showing sharp definition, well-knit tannins and resonating florality. I underestimated this wine last year, perhaps because I tried and reviewed it very soon after bottling.

Score: 93 points -- Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 2021

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Pierre Jena Villa is a native of the Northern Rhone, but spent years working in Burgundy at Clos de Tart and Domaine de la Vougeraie before returning home and eventually establishing his own operation. His Burgundian training helps to explain his focus on elegance and exactitude in a region whose wines often display more power than precision. Villas Syrahs have complex bouquets and round, balanced palates that will develop gracefully with age.