Cornas Birthday lunch

Another birthday thing. This time Cornas. I put it together so that the wines could be paired throughout the meal.

Regarding my notes: I double decanted all of the wines I was going to take so the first part of the note is directly after decanting, the second after the wines had been allowed to sit for a couple of hours...There were some other contributions which were just decanted about 30 minutes so I've flagged them as well in my notes - thanks to KC, Frank, Ben & Dave and also Ivan, Jos and Ivan for chipping. A special call out for Frank bringing a couple of LBV's as well

• 2010 Franck Balthazar Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Baked berries and spice, perfumed, a little leathery earthy notes, touch of gameyness. Palate is rich, savoury, ripe black berry with a little alcohol warmth.
  
  After 2 hours polished blackcurrant and berry, leather, pretty fruity. In the mouth it's juicy, tight, inky with black berry fruit."

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• 2010 Franck Balthazar Cornas Chaillot

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Blackberry and slight prune, leather, tapenade, rock, pepper. Juicy, fleshy, more harmonious than the Casimir, tannins are a little grainy and quite peppery.
  
  After 2 hours blackberry, black peppery, tapenade, tightly spiced, juicy. Lovely."

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• 2005 Tardieu-Laurent Cornas Vieilles Vignes

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "leathery, gamey, meaty, savoury, a little mint over muted but dense black fruits and some olive tapenade. Juicy, fleshy and oaky on the palate, talc textured tannins and alcohol warmth.
  
  After 2 hours it proves to be savoury, peppery and spicy, more blackberry and pepper coming through on the palate with some tapenade. Yum."

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• 2005 Delas Frères Cornas Chante-Perdrix

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "musty, saddle leather, earthy, wild blackberry fruit, a little oxidised with plenty of caramel oak. A little sharp initially on the palate, cream flavoured and oak heavy. Meh at the mo'
  
  After 2hours cream, vanilla, spice, the fruit is a little muted and oak a little forward. Hmm."

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• 2007 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "jubey, slightly sour smelling fruit, leather, stalks bonfire. Sourly juicy, grippy, gritty tannins. Hmm
  
  After 2 hours green and black peppercorns, earth, leather, quite confected brambly fruit. Green and black peppercorns, jubey fruit though savoury on the palate. Lovely."

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• 2007 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Billes Noires

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Smoked meat, bonfire, Autumn, crushed rock, slightly jubey fruit. Tightly tannic with some alcohol warmth. Long.
  
  After 2 hours rich, peppery, spicy, blackberry, brambles. Juicy, fleshy, black hued fruits. Lovely."

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• 2007 Guillaume Gilles Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Stalky, earthy, bonfire, wood polish, slightly jubey sour red fruits. Sourly juicy, stalky, leathery tannins, peppery heart.
  
  After 2hours acetone, brambles, spiced blackberry, a little green note. Juicy, sharply acidic, pepper spice on the finish."

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• 2006 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Brise Cailloux

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Savoury, crushed rock, green and black pepper, muted jubey black fruit, farmyard stink. Juicy, a little sharp, lovely drying, toasted textured tannins carry long with peppery underpin. Yum.
  
  After 2 hours leather, gamey, peppery spice, brambles. Savoury, juicy, lightly tannic, peppery and rocky. "

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• 2009 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Côtes du Rhône No Wine's Land

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  "red fruit, pink peppercorns, crushed rocks, a little prettier than I remember it being with some sweet spice and floral notes. On the palate this is the most harmonious it's been, juicy, tannins and acid balanced. Good.
  
  After two hours slightly corky, pink peppercorns. juicy, juvey red fruit, spicy and peppery and getting back to the sourness I remember. Hmm."

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• 2009 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Billes Noires

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Polished oak, rich, ripe, pepper, spiced black fruit, a little leather. Jubey fruit, polished but contained oak, grippy tannins, balanced. Lovely.
  
  After 2 hours peppery spice, earthy though fresh black fruit, prune, alcohol heat. Ripe black fruits, slightly peppery, talc textured tannins. long, nice."

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• 2009 Delas Frères Cornas Chante-Perdrix

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Rich, ripe, polished oak, cream, caramel, vanilla over toasted black fruit. Palate is a reflection of the nose with plenty of, albeit controlled, tannins.
  
  After 2 hours it's polished oak, creamy, toasted black fruit, softly fleshy and alcoholically warm."

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• 2010 Delas Frères Cornas Chante-Perdrix

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Cream, caramel, vanilla, toasted fruit, sweet spice. More of the same in the mouth, tannins are polished by controlled, a little alcohol warmth on the finish.
  
  After 2 hours savoury with slight black pepper spice, blackberry, wet, broad, juicy."

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• 2008 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas Renaissance

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Earthy, gamey, charcuterie, blackberry, peppery spice. Juicy, savoury, peppery with brambly fruit and leathery tannins.
  
  After 30 minutes blackberry, earthy spice, still quite closed on the nose. Savory, juicy, polished, fresh, long, plenty of breadth."

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• 2007 Domaine du Coulet (Matthieu Barret) Cornas Brise Cailloux

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Pretty perfumed, touch of rose petal, jubey black berry fruit and green peppercorns, slight leather. Juicy, jubey, fleshy, really very lovely.
  
  After 2 hours it's more leathery, savoury, earthy with black pepper and blackberry, jubey, rich."

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• 2014 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  "Gamey, slight stalks, red over blackberry fruit, juicy and juicy red fruit, a little pointy, softly tannic but pleasant enough.
  
  After about 60 minutes it's meaty, charcutier with red and blackberry, fresh, gamey, meaty, savoury, coffee notes…quite yum"

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• 2007 Taylor (Fladgate) Porto Late Bottled Vintage

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Sweet with aromas of leather, ripe berries and currants, spice, earthy, ripe, surprisingly simple and soft. Alcohol well contained. Quaffable.

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• 2009 Cockburn Porto Late Bottled Vintage

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  Spiritous. Spiced almost pepper, leather, walnuts, figs and Christmas cake. Sweet, alcoholic, slightly oxidised with some tannic grip. Hmm.

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A lot of fun, again. The Ports absolutely finished me off though. Marvellous.