"The 2019 Saint-Joseph “Fruit d’Avilleran” Blanc from François Villard is comprised entirely from Marsanne, with more than two-thirds of the vines fully forty years of age. The wine is barrel-fermented and raised in casks, but with only ten percent of the oak new. The 2019 comes in at 13.5 percent octane and delivers a ripe, complex bouquet of pear, almond, a touch of fresh pineapple, a complex base of soil tones, just a whisper of buttery oak and a topnote of gently musky floral tones. On the palate the wine is bright, ripe and full, with a good core and soil signature, sound framing acids, good focus and grip and a long, complex and well-balanced finish. This has fairly gentle acidity and so will probably be at its best drunk in its relative youth. Good juice. 2022-2027."