The 1997 Coteaux du Layon St. Aubin Clos des Bois* reveals a gold color and a nose filled with a myriad of jellied fruits. It is thick, syrupy, dense, and heavy. This full-bodied wine has layer upon layer of super-concentrated and viscous yellow fruits that coat the taster's palate. Drink it over the next 6 years. As one of the ""sugar hunters"", there is no doubting the extraordinary, absolutely mind-boggling, levels of ripeness he attains, nor the tireless work that goes into every wine crafted at this estate. However, the question must be posed, is this wine or syrup? It reaches humongous levels of residual sugar, yet does it possess adequate balancing alcohol or acidity? This wine is heavy, plodding, and syrupy. It has more in common with a sweet Sherry such as Lustau's Pedro Jimenez than with other sweet Loire Valley wines. My instincts suggest that this wine will evolve quickly. It already shows gold, amber, even brown colors and reveals some evolved flavors such as molasses.