5/15/2024 - Acohen Likes this wine:

RIch currant, plum and mocha with graphite and long finish

5/14/2024 - ERU wrote:

Decanted 11 hours. Needed all of them. The tannins are still rather assertive, but the bottle did offer up pleasure. The nose is classic wet rock Cornas. Palate is a bowl of unripened red and black fruits, minerality, and black olives.

Solid bottle of wine that has tremendous potential. In another handful of years, we could be in a sweet spot.

You know, dear fellow CTers, it occurs to me that we have a decided advantage over the rest of the population. Consider: I am an adequate to enthusiastic parent, a spouse who’s partner still occasionally makes me weak in the knees, a fierce dog lover, and a best friend. Why do I primarily wish to remain as healthy and cognizant as possible? What makes me think, “You go another mile, damnit,” or, “You wanna smoke WHAT?” It is the wine. It is all the aging wine.

5/12/2024 - Claymonster Likes this wine:

Gave it an 8 hour slow ox which was not enough so then fully decanted for two hours before dinner. Did have some fine sediment. Dark ruby in the glass, the nose and palate are classic BDX with an emphasis on the fruit and cassis because it is young. Some hints of cedar/earth and chocolate. The tannins were softer and rounder than I expected. Nicely balanced with a medium body and acidity. This is the first of three bottles and I wanted to try one now to track it's evolution, which I expect to be long and elegant. Pretty good QPR and a fine expression of BDX outside of the main AOCs. If you are looking for a cheap-ish case buy to stash in the cellar and forget about for 10 years or more, this is your huckleberry. A long decant is recommended if drinking now.

Music Pairing: Blue Mitchell - Big 6

4/20/2024 - etyc Likes this wine:

Had this (blinded) side-by-side the '07 Janasse VV (which I brought as a ringer). Haha, fate had it that the friend who brought the SQN actually mistook it for its Syrah counterpart and brought the Grenache bottling instead. What a nice contrast (actually I thought they had more similarities) between the Old-World vs. this New-World. Must say that the SQN showed better with immaculate wine-making. Both high-octane wines, the SQN had no "stewed notes" whereas the Janasse VV had. However, I thought the Janasse had more freshness/lift. Anyway, this was about "packaging" ripe/concentrated fruits, liqueur, meat in the most balanced/velvety texture possible. Nice!

5/4/2024 - ERU wrote:

4 hour decant. Had with meats and cheeses. (Meats and cheeses said together always makes me laugh. I don’t know why, but I’ve learned to take my mirth as it comes.)

Great nose of red fruit, leather, and bright cedar-y stuff. It is decidedly medium bodied with a palate of red fruit, some sort of subtle spice, and a leather jacket that’s been kept in a cedar closet. It’s elegant in a way that makes me a believer—maybe sometimes I don’t want Scarface, I want the Age of Innocence.

I enjoyed and appreciated this far more than my previous experience in December 2022. Look at what time can do! Heals a lot wounds, obliterates the testaments of once-great civilizations, bequeaths us jowls, and lets this fascinating juice evolve.

One more bottle I have. Tagging it for 2029.

4/20/2024 - Vinnut Likes this wine:

Deep, dark reddish-purple, essentially opaque in color. Nose was initially reticent but eventually developing with airing into a full, forward & aromatic nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of floral notes of roses & earthy/dusty, cocoa, coffee grounds, dried herbs, some mint & anise, olives, minerals & spice notes of cloves with some vanilla/toasty oak notes in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of sour cherries, blackberries & dark plums with cocoa, coffee, spices, herbs, minerals & a hint of vanilla/toasty oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but should develop further with additional aging at which time it may merit a higher score (95+).

5/2/2024 - StefanAkiko wrote:

A superior deep red wine built for the longhaul.
This is in essence a very young wine today. I plopped the bottle in the morning and it was somewhat open for business in the evening.
No sediment at all.
Transparent red.
On the nose are lingonberries, cherries, red currants and raspberry-jam-being-made and cloves.
In the mouth this is majestic. I particularly like the way that the lingonberries also carry the taste of butter. Some previous tasters complain about wood. I can only say that the oak is fully integrated. The herbal-peppery-seasoning aspects we couldn't put our fingers on. But towards thyme and cloves with an oily rosemary touch.
A rich wine that did a fantastic job with the food and bread at Pecorella.

4/14/2024 - RoelD Likes this wine:

This undeservedly less known domain is located in the Northern Orange-sector of the appellation. All their wines, including their generic Côtes du Rhône, are of very high quality. This is one of their top-cuvées made from old vine (often>100 years) Grenache (80%) and Mourvèdre (20%). After destemming the wine is fermented in concrete tanks and aged for 12 months in vats and smaller barriques. As far as I know no new oak is used.
This wine is still extremely young and dominated by the Mourvèdre with an opaque purple-red color with on the nose and the palate blackberries,black currants, licorice and beefstock-umami, a lot of ripe tannins,certainly no shortage of acidity and a lingering finish. Although the 15% alcohol is well integrated I recommend to serve this wine slightly fresher (14°C).
This is a very fine wine that will gain complexity over the next 5 years.

3/29/2024 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine:

Deep purple color. Still very young but super complex notes of barnyard, horsesaddle, cassis, some dark flowers, smoke, beef blood, graphite, crushed rock, tobacco, leather, just overall super layered and complex. Full bodied and powerful, but with excellent finesse at the same time, there is medium-high tannin that is super silky. Long finish with great complexity.

3/29/2024 - ERU wrote:

Slow-ox for 6 hours. This is a well-made wine. Okay, now to the other stuff. . . .

This is not teally my cup of tea. Oooh, let me continue that thread: the palate is full of over-steeped tea. There is a brightness here—it is Grenache—but it’s morphed into this Hulk-like thing that I can’t wrap my brain around. Each sip I kept thinking, “This is a world-class wine, why don’t I dig it more? Let me ponder.” So, intellectual box: checked. Pleasure box? (Oh, dear.) Um, no. No, my pleasure box was decidedly not checked.

In looking over my notes for the Distenta I Grenache, I think I need to drink up any SQN Grenache I have on the early side. Flip side of that coin, I like the SQN Syrah later, methinks. I also plan on throwing any loose change I have in my couch or the car ashtray-like receptacle at SQN Syrah exclusively.

4/3/2024 - PIZZAandBAROLO Likes this wine:

Man this was smoking good.

I initially gave this a 2 hour decant. That wasn't enough. But by hour 3, and with a little time in the glass, this really started to hit its stride.

Really beautiful on the nose and palate with tons of red and black currants, ripe dark plums, black cherry, and smoke.

This is crunchy and savory all at once. I really enjoyed the acidity of the wine, which is just right, and gives this a long, puckery, and mouth watering finish.

Compared to a 2018 Fontodi Vigna del Sorbo that I recently enjoyed and look forward to having again, I'd totally give this the nod over that. And that's saying something. The Fontodi is an excellent wine. But dollars to donuts, this is a heavenly wine that costs significantly less.

12/30/2023 - ERU wrote:

Aerated and decanted 2 hours. Poured a glass and sat by the fire.

Nose of game and blood. Wealth of beautiful black fruits and plums. A surprising zing of menthol every third long, slow inhale.

Palate of spicy herbs and cured meat. The grenache holds more sway here with some red fruit breaking through the black. It’s got so much going on—game here, tar there, stewed puréed fruits and blood splattered about. It’s big and deep; it’s hedonism with an almost impossible balancing act with. . . everything. Everything!

This wine is NOT for the fastidious or decorous who prune the shrubbery into animal shapes, make love with the lights off, and/or are not haunted by Ellen Burstyn’s loss at the 73rd Academy Awards. It’s for those who enter the opium den, find it all blasé, then head to the secret back room where a mysterious man keeps the magic puzzle boxes that can bring forth either angels or demons, depending upon your proclivities, of course. I don’t know about you, but, for me, bring it on, denizens of the opium den!

2/12/2024 - Lion's Share Likes this wine:

After reading a few of the tasting notes here I am inclined to speculate that some may have gargled with bilge water before pouring (joking, or perhaps they just got a bad bottle, or they prefer something more extracted). This is an outstanding mountain cab. The nose is fragrant and floral. The palate features plenty of black fruit, with leather, licorice root, chocolate, and a tar-tinged note, all of which are supported with excellent freshness. Sage and other earthy elements join the fruit on the long finish.

2/22/2024 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

I know not why, but somehow of late I have lost my mirth. If you find it, please send it to me post haste. This wine did help break the bonds for a moment.

In case you know as little of Aglianico as me, ignorant swine that I am, I read that it is, with Sangioslammer and Neb widely regarded as forming the trio at the top of the Italian red wine tree. Much as I like this wine, I will reserve judgement on that one. It is a late ripener, inclined to be tannic and acidic but producing full bodied wines. Pliny the Elder thought its wines rocked, and he would know because that cat really could swing.

More than Pliny, this wine brought to mind the devil may care attitude, verve and dash and integrity of General de Brigade Carlo Balabio, one of the many northern Italians who give the lie to the idea that Napoleon's great enterprise was a French despotism. That my friends, is one of those myths that only survive because it is repeated. Even a cursory reading of the period shows that across Europe progressive elements were staunch allies of Napoleon.

Featuring an almost inky depth of purple red colour, this wine shows none of its 9 years. Balabio was the son of a family of bankers and the colour resembles the rich life of his family.

The nose and palate are a complex riot, just as the life of a true hussar like Balabio should be. There is blackberry, dark plum, some mocha, smoke (Carbonari?), spice and loads of tannins but they are delicious and become a point of pleasure. They are the sometimes hardness of the life of the Hussar that leads ultimately to the romping and stomping.

Balabio stayed loyal to the cause and so does this wine. It has years ahead but is a pleasure now. It makes me think of Amarone and that is just fine. I think Balabio's finest moment came when at the Battle of Valls his 'Napoleon's Dragoons' smashed into a desperate charge by the Spanish cavalry and using those mighty, straight sabres they thrust their way through the Spanish, killing General von Reding and routing his men. This wine puts you in that frame of mind.

2/3/2024 - ERU wrote:

Ah, my first Cornas in a while that has not been flawed. So, right of the bat here—yay!

Aerated and decanted for 6 hours. This started off a touch austere, so left in the glass and filled the time with an inferior wine that I won’t even mention. We then pulled a Jesus and had this better wine next. Fabulous nose of black fruit, olives, pepper and umami. Sip after sip gave bunches of olives, dark currant, roasted meat, pepper and good salinity. Decidedly medium bodied. Would have ticked higher for me if it would have been a full-bodied Cornas experience.

Here's the thing about Cornas for me: This is Syrah at its most primordial. Cornas is the wise patriarch, and all other Syrah / Shiraz of the world are its brash, spirited offspring. Cornas is born of Winter and all others are Children of Summer. I often find myself very much in the mood for the total exuberance of a great Syrah from warmer climes, but sometimes—oh, sometimes!—it must be the contemplative, generous unfurling of a great Cornas. There’s nothing else like it in the world.

7/7/2021 - csimm wrote:

2016 Chateauneuf du Pape 99/100 point wine taste-off (and a couple of pirate Rhone wines): Sexy and powerful cassis and licorice notes lead the charge, with deeply pitched red and black berry notes rushing up to fill in the gaps. With air, the flow of flavor is even more expansive and explosive. Finishes with luscious influence and waves of surging and cascading succulence. A super suave and erotic style. A step up from the 2015 Mon Aieul.

The Usseglio house did some dominating during this tasting, with the Deux Freres, Mon Aieul, and Not For You all setting top-flight standards for the region and the vintage. Personally, I found the Deux Freres to be the most complete and sharply demonstrative wine in the lineup, with the Not For You and Mon Aieul tailing closely behind.

1/5/2024 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Excellent wine, if too young. Loads of dark red fruit and musky perfume. Huge dry extract. Needs food. 93-94 now with 95-96 in 10 years..

12/1/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote:

A love/hate wine. This note is not a note about my stylistic ideology of wine, its about the wine's quality and correctness for its place and pedigree. So if you opened this, and you bought a CdP in a lucid state of mind, then dont bitch about the massive wine with over the shoulder bolder holders. For those who came for this, you are definitely getting more than what you paid for. Big, voluptuous, rich, dazzling in bright raspberry compote, coupled with spot on acidity. Long, bruising finish that makes you take sip after sip until you finally get tired. The length of time it takes for palate fatigue depends on your tolerance for beautifully crafted jammy wine that holds its weight and tag along alcohol quite well under its sleeve or skirt, depending on your preference and imagination. One to get, one to drink. For me, I call this one,"Lady Ready"
Drink!

12/9/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

'Oh crap!' I hear you cry as you see a wine note with my name attached. Another turgid tergiversation through dubious history and even more dubious wine opinions. It gets worse, because this wine really does bring to mind comparisons with Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, 'stupor mundi'.

For those desperate to escape, here is the skinny. This is a compelling wine, yet also one that will polarise and reconciling the two may prove near impossible - about as possible as bringing together Guelph and Ghibelline. If you can find it, buy it, but beware for it is all that the Northern Barossa is (for good and ill) and yet there is something more.

There are some attractive green notes from a cool, wet year where everything came together near harvest; there is an almost overwhelming depth of loam, smoke and charcuterie, chocolate, spice and anise and then some ripe blackberry and plum trying to smash its way through. Given the provenance, acid is fairly low, but the wine is not (quite) baked and dead. Length and intensity are undeniable. It could be scored higher, but many will be appalled and score it lower - like Frederick II, trying to assess objectively when the character is so dominant is difficult.

Frederick II is not a strength for me. However, I have always tried to have a degree of familiarity because you can't really understand the deeper history of Italy, central and southern Europe, Russia and the Ukraine, the near Middle East without having some grasp of this character and the forces at work in his lifetime.

Equally, to really understand the red wines of the Barossa, especially many of the great wines, you have to have a grasp of the character of the Ebenezer sub-region. The baking hot, dry northern end of the Barossa has provided the backbone of most of Penfolds top reds, but to really know Rockford Basket Press (amongst others) you need to know Ebenezer, because although Rockford is based well to the south, it uses a significant parcel of Ebenezer fruit.

One of the beauties of this wine is that it is made from a single, small (under 1 hectare) vineyard of old (planted about 120 years ago) Shiraz vines. It is 100% whole bunch fermented and it sees no new oak. So, this is a very pure expression of Ebenezer. Sure enough, you see the sub-region characteristics. Yet for all this, I remain in two minds on the question of 'do I like it'? So with the question of whether Frederick II and his legacy - was he a success?

Frederick's dynastic legacy barely survived him, for all his tremendous accomplishments. Yet his example, his reputation and deeds can still be felt today. This rich, deep, almost Satanic wine would probably appeal to Frederick. I keep thinking I have it pegged and that one glass is more than enough for a sitting, yet I end up drawn back to look again. So Frederick II continues to be the subject of intense academic debate, especially between those who are comfortable with history as a struggle of grand ideas, of great forces, of colourful individuals (often in opposition), of uncertain endings, versus the rather timorous, narrowing types desperate to show that great ideas are dangerous and who would like us all to lead the same kind of snout in trough lives that they so obviously love - Simon Schama, Timothy Snydor and the rest - I have my eye on you and my gaze is baleful.

Now, if a wine can inspire this level of hate for a bunch of mediocre historians, it probably does have something going for it. But do know that, like studying Freddy II, you will be getting more than you bargain for, that it will be rich and intoxicating, yet also too much, that you will want to recoil and push away. Does anyone really understand Guelph and Ghibelline? Is this wine too much or is it something special? Was Fridericus Imperator a rationalist and anti-Christian (oh my soul soars), or actually the opposite, a very Medieval King who simply reflected the diverse world of the Sicilian court of the time?

One thing I would love to discuss about this wine is that I cannot get my head around the apparent absence of oak. The smoke, chocolate, charcuterie and even the tannins and mouthfeel all screamed oak to me, even though the reason I bought the entire Setiono line up (admittedly only 3 wines) was that I read that they avoided oak. Yes, chocolate can come from the grape, but all the rest...?

The tannins could be a study alone, because as I grow older and more desperate to not look a complete fool when I taste wine, I often go to structural aspects to try to identify a wine and to understand it. There is a sandy aspect to these tannins, yet I also felt they spoke of oak, because I felt there was a graininess there. As with Frederick II, so with wine, just when you think you know something you discover just how much more there is to know and how superficial your 'understanding' really is.

And I have just found out the AS Byatt snuffed it. I still barely find a day goes by that I don't smile at her comment about 'Possession' that it was a book she wrote with a time in mind when people wrote and read novels because they actually liked reading.

So, fresh from being humbled by Setiono and reminded how little I understand of Frederick II, I now get the added shit sandwich of the passing of this fine author. Worse, my favourite work of hers wasn't 'Possession' it was 'Unruly Times', a book almost no-one cares about and that probably just proves I have the mind of a dedicated wanker whose sole life skill is an inability to fit with his fellow man or woman. Cheers!

12/8/2023 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

My last bottle. Decanted 20 minutes, tasted then poured back in the bottle. Some sediment. Tannins super soft. Wine shining with amazing chocolate notes. I would drink this up as fruit is fading. Now is still a nice blend of tannin & fruit. Now is the time to drink. More cellaring isn’t going to make the wine better.

11/16/2022 - Rezy13 Likes this wine:

90 year old Sangiovese, named after the former charcoal pit that was there, fermentation in steel and concrete, aged in new and 1 year old tonneaux; cloudier reddish violet; great nose!, cinnamon, crushed floral, so Sangio, a little modern, accessible and delicious now, tastes like something more expensive, chocolate, cedar, tobacco, lingering cinnamon and floral notes; yum.

12/2/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Yes, fellow Trackers of the Cellar, I hear your plaintive cries and the torment of your souls. 'Why?', 'Why? Oh why?' you cry out, rending your garments and plucking the small hairs of your noses. 'Why does not one review make reference to the Byzantine Emperor, Nikephoros Phokas?' How I share your pain. But be placid now, rest easy, be as the lamb of God, for I am here and bring His message, via Nikephoros' greatest supporter, his help-meet I might say, Liutprand of Cremona.

This Comte d'Armand vintage is, of course, a special one. Like Nikephoros, it comes into crisis and struggles mightily. Its efforts are crowned with success, yet some lingering (admittedly small) doubts remain.

Unlike Nikephoros, it is unlikely that you, gentle drinker, will be murdered in your sleep with the connivance of your wife. Unless it be that you hold stocks of this wine and decline to share them amply with my good self, doubling in the role of the honourable John Tzimiskes.

Like the thundering cataphracts of Nikephoros reconquering Cilicia and routing the locals, or raiding deep into the Saracen held lands around Nisibis (in the course of which he earned the rather charming sobriquet 'White death of the Saracens'), this monopole is of an unusual scale. Not only it is a premier cru in its own right, it is situate in an area replete with wonderful vineyards.

As we all know, Pommard means wines with a pleasing combination of aromatic lift married to considerable heft and power. Sometimes, however, the power puts one more in mind of the Clibinarii (camp ovens) description of cataphracts - a little rustic, rough hewn and the tannins tending to mean and even ugly. Here, however, we have the heavy cavalry as they should be - proud, powerful but also skillful and even graceful.

Nikephoros was one of the great warrior-monk Byzantine emperors. After the early death of his wife he swore an oath of chastity, which must have been interesting when he married the wife of his predecessor as Emperor. Her late husband had allegedly died as a result of his debauched, over sexed lifestyle and his wife was seen as sharing many of his libidinous tendencies. Did she poison Romanos II because he was a bit useless, as alleged? Who knows?

Liutprand described Nikephoros in the following flattering terms after his incredibly successful visit to the court in the 960's:

"a monstrosity of a man, a pygmy, fat-headed and like a mole as to the smallness of his eyes; disgusting with his short, broad, thick, and half hoary beard; disgraced by a neck an inch long; very bristly through the length and thickness of his hair"

This description, doubtless incredibly accurate, bears little resemblance to descriptions by others at the time, nor does it resemble pictures of the Emperor, but if JJ Norwich accepts the views of a fellow European who are we to argue? Other depictions are of an aesthetic looking man, not notably ugly. Which does this wine resemble?

Across two days decanted this wine shows little change. It is deep of hue, showing few signs of age. The nose is aromatic - macerated strawberries, cinnamon, some yoghurt like aspects, a little spice. Very heady. The palate is powerful, long and intense, with tannic grip in balance, although I think we do see the presence of a fair amount of well-handled oak. much like the heavy armour of the cataphracts. The fruit is there to handle it. I have to say that this is almost classical Burgundy. It hews closer to the pictorial evidence of Nikephoros than it does to Liutprand's description.

Like Nikephoros, you may have to engage in considerable economies at home to support the effort of making war/seizing stock of this. In seeking it out I urge you to be as ruthless, as relentless and as willing to overcome initial set-backs as Nikephoros Phokas. Like him, earn a title like 'White Death of the Hoarders of Comte d'Armand'. I also encourage you to be suspicious of Papists, but go one step further than Nikephoros and loathe all religion with a truly Catholic breadth.

'Nikephoros' as we all know translates roughly as 'Bringer of Victory' or 'Herald of Victory'. Our man earned the name. Yet his murder was not unpopular, although his replacement by another military man, his nephew, has a certain irony. Tzimiskes was also deeply religious in his way of life, not just at Sunday service.

Nikephoros handled the expansionist plans of the Germans in Italy roughly, he reconquered strategically important territory like Crete, Cyrus and the Cilician gates and he achieved great success against the dread Saracens.

So, why a nagging doubt about him? Well, as with this wine, one wonders whether the driving force behind the power is sustainable and whether there is incipient over-reach. Here it is, for me, a slight question about the oak. This is not a wine where you must wade through the oak to find a quivering, delicate and dying piece of fruit. But the oak is not a small part of the picture. I tend to the view the wine will continue to grow and continue to soak it up but...

With Nikephoros, it was really about the capacity of the realm to fund the endless wars and the willingness and capacity of its people to endure the hardships of endless war. Within a century the successes were swept away, by the Normans in Italy and Sicily and by the Seljuk Turks at Manzikert. Well before then, the armies had become dependent on mercenaries to a degree unheard of and the rulers and people had become the kind of lame, dope-smoking, slacking little suckers so familiar today.

Drink this wine and channel your inner Nikephoros, or Tzimiskes. Like the wine and the emperors, feel the power and live the life, but do watch the wife.

11/9/2023 - carlo marx Likes this wine:

The nose is veeeery rustic. Horse blanket, leather, barnyard. Very rounded savory notes; dried black olives, cured meats and smoke. Iron, blood, duck meat and orange zest. The nose closes floral; lavender and roses all over. Warm tobacco and dried fruits round out the aroma with a bit of vanilla.
The palate is green and fresh, but also oh so deep. Black berries, iron, tobacco and leather. Green, lingering, bright acidity. Peppery, herbaceous, licorice root. Ever-enduring finish.

8/23/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Jancis Robinson once described the wines of Cornas as 'obdurate', but this is a rather expressive and almost elegant wine. Whereas the 2019 was a cuirassier, this is a dashing and elegant type - perhaps of the Empress' Dragoons of the Imperial Guard, or a figure like General Vandamme.

Like Vandamme, this is a wine of the darkest dye - purple red and clearly brooking no silliness.

Vandamme was a notorious character but also extraordinarily brave, loyal to Napoleon and a competent commander. Napoleon said of him "If I were to lead a campaign against Lucifer in Hell, Vandamme would lead the vanguard". There is a play on words here, or a double meaning, because Vandamme was almost legendary for his looting (especially of churches - how much one wishes he were here today) and corruption; at one point Napoleon had also said of Vandamme "If I had two of him the only solution would be to have one hang the other".

The nose and palate of this wine deliver, like Vandamme. This is not as big, upfront and potent as the 2019 but it does not lack its own type of power; it is sleek and the finish powers on. It takes a while to open up, so either decant and leave for a few hours, or open the bottle and leave in place for 6-8 hours.

The fruit moves through a spectrum of at first slightly reserved dark plum and some dark berries. Over time a definite note of blueberry comes in and is almost intoxicating. I think a pairing of the 2019 and 2020 Cornas from Clape will make for fascinating drinking at any time, but especially as they get some age. I am put in mind of 1989 and 1990 in Bordeaux, or even 1982 and 1983.

Like Vandamme, there is also the usual Cornas stench of corruption - roast meats, smoke, black pepper and charcuterie. I don't think it is incipient Brettanomyces and I don't find it unbalanced, but with these characters, everyone has different tolerances.

Something I like about Cornas is that it is what it is and it is not afraid to speak its truths. When Vandamme was captured (after a hell of a fight) and brought before Tsar Nicholas I, the Tsar, appalled by this ruffian who had risen from the ranks to become a general, berated him for his rapacious character, to which Vandamme, staring insolently at Nicholas snorted 'That may be so, but you are not the person to accuse me of anything. At least I did not murder my father.' To add insult to injury there was no recognition of the Tsar's royal person - no 'your highness' etc. Needless to say, Vandamme was not well treated and, unlike many other Napoleonic generals, there was no amnesty or restoration to military rank under the Bourbons. His cards were marked.

I sometimes think that those who belittle Cornas are a little like those who complain about Napoleon's character and call him a tyrant. Compared to...? Tsar Alexander who was at least complicit in the British funded murder of his father Paul? The King of Britain, possibly mad but certainly locked up and maltreated by his son, of whom a senior aide wrote in his diary "A more contemptible, cowardly, selfish, unfeeling dog does not exist ... There have been good and wise kings but not many of them ... and this I believe to be one of the worst."? A kingdom that pursued policies of political assassination and at home near genocidal treatment of the Irish? Perhaps the Spanish royal family - so appallingly inbred that the Spanish patriot and artist Goya depicted them as morons in his works?

One need not necessarily like Cornas, one can acknowledge its challenging aspects, but let us also admire its clear qualities. Like Vandamme, it is a thing of many parts. I admire character and Vandamme, like Cornas, has it in spades - do you?

3/25/2022 - cellardrinker wrote:

Maybe the best Pure I have ever tasted with 2016 and 2010.

2019 was a crazy year in CDP. I visited the property first at the end of March and the weather was unusually cool. Even until early June, the temperatures were well below normal in the low 50s with people in town still heating their homes. Then within two weeks, France was hit by a historic heat wave. When I stopped by the winery at the very end of June temperatures reached in excess of 110 F! Julien Barrot was worried about heat stress with some of the leaves on vines near the winery wilting. Luckily, the extreme heat abated while the weather remained mostly dry. La Barroche old vines do not suffer from much hydric stress as they often reach 30 feet deep to the water table. I returned in early September a and few rain showers had helped and the grapes were maturing beautifully. The Pure plot is always the last to be harvested in early October. The grenache had weathered the heat stress the best especially the centenarian vines high on the plateau near Rayas where the Pure comes from. Julien was already convinced it was going to be a great year.

I finally tasted the epic 2019 vintage at the property at the end of October 2021 when I was able to travel to France again, post COVID. Yield was tiny comparable to that in 2010 and much lower than 2016. 2018 was a very tough year so it was a relief for Julien to have what looked like an excellent vintage on his hands. The Cuvee Pure comes a single vineyard in a small northfacing plot with mostly sandy soils, a stone throw from Rayas near the top of the CDP Appellation. These north facing vineyards will always do better in hot years than the traditional south facing vineyards from la Crau, a situation more and more frequent with global warming.

The Cuvee Pure color is signficantly lighter than Julien's other cuvees and lighter than most other CDPs except for Rayas. You could nearly mistake for a pinot at first glance. It is not from lack of concentration, but from the fact it comes from 100% grenache which is thin skinned. Many CDPs are darker in color from the addition of the thicker skinned syrah and mourvedre. The Pure from 100% very old vine grenache is the absolute essence of old vine grenache which can only be grown gobelet style in CDP, unlike other Rhone appellations where it is often trellised. Some the vines easily exceed six feet in height. Yield per vine for the Pure is minuscule, typically less than a bottle equivalent per vine! Julien does not trim the Pure vines as aggressively as his neighbor Emmanuel Reynaud at Rayas. He also harvests the Pure plot late but not as insanely late as Rayas. The Pure plot was harvested at the very end of September benefiting from some small amount of rain in mid-September. By waiting that long, the grapes benefit from the big difference betwen the warm daytime and cool night temperatures and can reach perfect maturity. The berries from the vinyeard are nearly always tiny, with a high skin to juice content. Rayas next door only finished harvesting his vines a full month later.
The nose of the 2019 Pure is very Burgundy like, delicate and floral with very little of the spice you find in GSM blends. The palate is extremely smooth for such a young wine, drinkable now but can easily wait a decade or more. My 2010s are still babies!. Tannins are present but very soft from use of whole clusters. It was one of these years where stems were used giving some grip and sweetness. Alcohol was barely discernible even though the Pure still packs a punch at over 15 degrees. Unlike the stems from syrah and mourvedre which are very bitter, stems from ripe grenache are delicious and their use helps moderate the alcohol. The length of the wine was astounding lingering for 30 seconds or more. By the time I left, Julien and I nearly finished a bottle. There is a term sometimes used for such old vine grenache. Orgasmic!
By hook or by crook try to snag a bottle and share it with your signficant other. You will see what I mean! I only gave it a 99+ because it will still improve with some age.

11/4/2023 - ERU wrote:

Loved this. Key takeaway for me is comparison to the 2016. I also loved that one—slightly more so. Hence, gonna leisurely wait on next bottle of the 2018 for a couple of years. But, really, Bevan is such a gift: It will be a winner no matter when you open a bottle. It’s whether you want the ribeye or filet, Goodfellas or the Departed, Nadal on clay or Federer on grass. You win!

4/14/2023 - chablis28 wrote:

Old Guys lunch on Ciao Bella's lovely patio (CV, DM, TS, JV, DD, LS, KB). 80 degrees Friday & 45 degrees Saturday :). We got super lucky Friday by MN standards. Well as I stated after my first sniffs & sips of this; "if I only knew then what I know now" I'd have at least a couple cases of Giacoma Conterno. This is superb now and likely to only get better for the next 5-10yrs. 20 plus years from now it likely won't be my cup of tea as I've yet to taste a 40yr old plus Barolo I've remotely loved. This is great now & look fwd to tasting one of these again down the road. Classic old school Barolo with tar, menthol and mineral but also a very nice dab of pure raspberry and cherry flavors. This wine has excellent, concentration, intensity on a suave harmonious frame. 95-96 Dave D's btl and my wine of the afternoon! Thanks Dave! Wish my Burolo had played nice too!

4/14/2023 - rocknroller wrote:

Old Guys Lunch: Hittin' the Patio (Ciao Bella, Mpls): Medium dark red plus color with a 6mm transition. Decanted for about 2 hours. Drank a glass over an hour plus. Lovely nose, dried strawberry, rose petals, dried herbs, fresh, red berries, dusty, hints of anise. The palate shows firm but plush tannins, medium weight, strawberry, cherry, dried wood, anise, good depth and length. Just a baby, but starting to strut its stuff.

10/24/2023 - ERU wrote:

On Tuesday, October 24th, I had my first Sine Qua Non. Wanted something special for the gift of Summer temps in my backyard smack in the middle of a Northern Illinois Autumn. Decanted 7 hours.

Should have instead slowly sipped this wine in my non-existent, mahogany-paneled, rare-book-filled study at midnight with the sounds of a crackling fire and distant thunder that would inevitably grow closer. Alone, brooding over the Devil’s Deal that tantalized untold success and revenge against my enemies but knowing the price I would pay at the end would be monstrous unless I had set up my chess pieces well enough to double cross him.

So, if I ever find myself in this situation, it’s nice to know I don’t have to worry about what I should drink.

This is some f^&%* serious wine. Opaque and dark, black fruit, pepper, leather, herbs and big doses of tapenade. It’s a charcuterie board without the cheese and fig jam. It’s ponderous without clunky weight. It doesn’t let up—no peace to be had when drinking this. To me, a rating is not the point with this one because of the intensity of the experience, but I do see ratings as something to guide rather than an actual grade. I’d give it a 94 last night while consuming and a 98 while dreaming about it (yep, I really did) and contemplating it this morning. Ergo, a 96. Whew.

4/23/2023 - randyjc wrote:

Tasted over 3 hours. Quite a remarkable wine - one of the lightest-feeling big wines I’ve ever had the pleasure. Deep and brooding but with a degree of lightness that seems incongruent. Cassis, blueberry, Washington cabernet baker’s chocolate and sweet fine tannin. That it was raised up in 70% new oak makes sense but it’s not obvious. This is still quite young but is ready to go any time. Hard to imagine it’s not going to be incredible in ten years but I don’t know that I’ll be waiting that long. It’s a winter-into-spring or late fall sort of evening sipping wine. UPDATE ALERT - a second bottle days later is trending much more toward so-called Big Boy Napa, all heft and alcohol, with the subtlety of a sledge hammer. This is unfortunate. Leaving the original score because that’s how the first bottle showed but this one is a muddled and alcoholic mess.

8/13/2023 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

No decant. Pulled cork an hour before dinner of Greek marinated lamb chops. Dark black color and mostly black fruit with a hint of blue. Amazing extraction still but doesn’t need long decant. Mark Herold wine. Full mouth feel. CA Cab notes for sure. Modern style but not crap over ripe style. More traditional. Just in a great spot now. Will it improve? Probably not much from here. It will just get softer if you like that,

6/24/2023 - Mcdanielk2 Likes this wine:

Two words: Sex Kitten

5/27/2023 - ERU wrote:

5 hour decant. Fruit is muted. Loamy and some tobacco. This started as a bit of a letdown, but it steadily improved as we drank.

5/13/2023 - chatters wrote:

Tuscany (Prince Sydney, 40 Hansard Street): Oak, caramel, sweet spice, a touch of cream; muted non-delineated red and black fruits beneath this. Juicy, medium plus intensity acidity, fruit slightly concentrated and savoury on the palate, tannins are drying and coarse flour textured, all persist long assisted by a bit of alcohol warmth. Big. Hmm

3/8/2023 - Zweder wrote:

Monthly Tasting Group HWS; Cornas (By JdB): Very dark color. In the bouquet fresh cherries, red and dark berries. On the palate juicy red and dark berries as well as cherries, sweet licorice, round acidity and sticky tannin. The wine is still reticent and in this stage a little less likeable than the “Renaissance”, but after some years in the bottle this wine will probably be much more interesting and complex than the “Renaissance”. 92 - 93+

3/11/2023 - AjitK wrote:

Decanted for an hour, and drank over the next 3. Decent wine, enjoyable at age 10, but not great and ultimately unmemorable. Not a great QPR at $25/5 oz. glass. Good tertiary flavors but the wine is not really concentrated or balanced. I would not buy it again at this price point, and I have one more bottle in the cellar. It doesn't have more than another 5 years left

4/21/2023 - WineGuyDelMar Likes this wine:

Pulled the cork 45 minutes before dinner of Rack of Lamb. No decant. Dark black color. Took a sip before dinner and it is ready for business. Medium/Full body of black & blue fruits. Long finish with savory Cab notes.Sad this wine is no longer made.

3/3/2023 - ERU wrote:

This gigantic wine has blueberry, leather and tobacco all perfectly balanced with crème de cassis holding the conductor’s wand. Tannins fully integrated. I am so sad that getting any more bottles will prove to be more and more difficult.