François Villard - Marsanne/Roussanne Les Contours De Mairlant 2022

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Producer	François Villard
Country	France
Region	Rhone Valley
Varietal	White Blend
Vintage	2022
Sku	12013064
Size	750ml

 

I have a hard time thinking of a northern Rhône producer whose wine has evolved as dramatically and positively over the last two decades than those of François Villard. Upon launching his domaine in 1989, Villard quickly built a reputation for producing assertively perfumed and flavored, opulent, even flamboyant wines, often with plenty of new oak influence, as was the fashion in the region at the time. But over the years his style evolved, especially during the last decade. Today his wines, which are often made with a significant amount of whole clusters and almost always a minimal use of new oak, are distinctly in the elegant camp of northern Rhône wines. That’s not to say that his wines are restrained, a point that he readily acknowledges. “You can get intensity of flavor without weight, too much ripeness and too much oak,” he told me. “It isn’t as easy and it takes a lot of work in farming, selection and attention in the cellar but it’s worth it. Plus, the wines age better when they are balanced and not monsters.” —Vinous, July 2019.