2003 - Coteaux du Layon Saint Lambert Bonnes Blanches, Domaine Jo Pithon

The Pithon 2003 Coteaux du Layon - Saint Lambert Les Bonnes Blanches – from a chalky site that is gaining notoriety – reflects a deep copper color to the eye and considerable new wood in the nose. Resin, lanolin, coconut, brown spices and butter cream aromas segue into a palate where caramelized pear and quince mingle with raisins and pungent spices as if in a chutney. Candied citrus, white raisin and vanilla cream dominate a long, buttery finish - like a hot crossed bun. Impressive in its confectionary, pure botrytis way, this rich, viscous Coteaux du Layon wants a bit of lift and refreshment. Jo Pithon, one of the outspoken advocates of biodynamic viticulture, puts his wines, both dry and nobly sweet, through extended time in barriques, and the results in 2005 include wines marked by pronounced lees, malolactic, and wood character which in a vintage already tending toward fat and fullness some tasters may enjoy more than I did. Importer: Elite Wines, Lorton, VA; tel. (703) 339-8150