Gorgeous. Fruit, florals and meaty charcuterie-esque notes perfectly melded together. Only 1 bottle so can't make a considered comparison, but feels like it's at sitting in peak at the moment. Can't see it improving much more, but reckon it's still got a few years to go before dropping off
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This has improved significantly since my last bottle. Nice the first night but possible still a bit nervous/ edgy -- but boy was it singing on day two. Feels at or near peak.
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Slow-o for a few hours. Tasted alongside the 2009 Gruaud Larose and Langoa Barton. Paired with braised short ribs, polenta, sauteed mushrooms, and vegetables.
The best wine on the table and the best pairing with the full meal. Rustic and savory, backed by coal and smoke notes. Powerfully, albeit deceptively, structured. The wine strengthened from front to back and finished quite long.
This seems to be toward the end of its evolution, or just entering its drinking window. Certainly worth checking in on, particularly after a 2+ hour decant. Likely to hold form through 2032 or so.
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Third bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2016. Decanted 30 minutes in advance. Despite the young(ish) vines and the lighter year, this displays good intensity and drive, but the fruit concentration is limited. On the nose the flavours and aromas (green and black olives, violets and roses, crushed red berries), are convincing and there is cedary warmth from older wood; medium body (13% ABV) and bright acidity on the energetic and well-defined palate, firm but well integrated tannins; tight and salty finish with good resonance and length. Exemplary terroir expression but not one for the long term - eventually this will dry out, as the structural elements will easily outlast the (modest) fruit. Drink now - 2026.
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Drank alongside the 2007. A more red fruited and leaner profile compared to the '07, with more olive tapenade as well. Like the '07 this is drinking very well right now. I don’t think many of these 2011 Rhones will make super old bones, but who cares, as they are drinking great now.
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This wine is very mature, but should continue to drink well for several more years. Like my last bottle of this vintage, there are black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. It is definitely at the apogee of its drinking window.
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This bottle is very similar to my last one of this vintage. There are lots of black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. It is at the apogee of its drinking window.
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Fully mature and very pleasant, if nothing especially complex. If anything slightly declining. Fully integrated at this point with medium length and complexity but a very nice soft fruit. There is a nervous tension in the acidity that I suspect reflects the young vines.
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There are lots of black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. What a wine!
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This is an interesting wine that draws you in. Lots of black fruit, including blackberries and bing cherries, blue violets on the nose, mellow tannins, garrique, a full mouthfeel and a long finish. A lovely Cornas for current consumption, but has years ahead of it.
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Quite deep with meatiness and a wild element with intense iron and minerality. In the mid palate to finish it is black fruited and cleaner on the finish than I expected. Definitely a big intense wine, but not in any kind of modern sense of jammy Syrah, just intense deep meatiness.
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Pronounced and complex nose of green olives, blackcurrant, red plum, smoke, meat, wet earth, must, subtle oak influence. Deep ruby turning garnet on rim. Medium(+) acidity and body, high course grained tannins, long finish. Fruit has started to settle and the wine is entering its drinking window now - Would like to see how tertiary notes develop
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First bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2016. At present, there is a 90 minute window after decanting to enjoy this wine at its peak. During this time, the wine displays a wonderful flowing finesse, with a rich but polished character, a refined Syrah without any rusticity or rough edges. During these 90 minutes it is a first-rate Northern Rhône, with moderate weight but real class and elegance. (93). After that, the nobleman turns into a peasant almost instantly. It's still a commendable wine at this stage, but it is almost unrecognisable. (90). My score holds the middle ground with fond memories of its state of grace, when it was a perfect foil for Tartiflette made with Roseval potatoes, Coppa Citerio, Roscoff onions, Zwaluwgekwetter cheese, white wine and cream.
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On opening this has an intoxicating nose of ripe black fruit, but with complicating notions of game meat and steak blood. Soon after opening the palate is gorgeous but linear. In this case, it seems this might be a combination of the relative youth of the wine, with a slight lack of material or a leaner style. The acids are solid and noticeable. There is a bit of delicious white pepper on the finish. But this was opened with the intent of following the bottle over several hours...so I will return and edit in further notes on the progress of the wine this evening...
One hour in the wine has started to expand - with air and slightly warmer temperature the wine seems more fleshy, but never at the level of what one sees in warm vintages like 2015. The wine remains composed and very nicely structured. The color is vibrant and strong. Very few signs of aging.
Two hours into the bottle, it is really hitting its stride. Continues to show just enough animale character to add real interest to the excellent black fruits. Now some minerality shows as well (beyond the iron found in the blood note in the wine). Some black olives show as well. Very drinkable, but with a solid backbone.
Overall - no harm in drinking this now if you let it have some time in glass/decanter, and would be even better with food...especially grilled meat. But this bottle showed as a wine that will improve for another 10 years at least.
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Robe cerise dense; Nez sérieux, sur des notes de petits fruits bleus & noirs (mûres, bleuets), il y a beaucoup de parfum floraux, des épices, de la tapenade d'olive & cette impression austère apportée par des notes de poussière de roche & de terre aride. Bouquet tout en fraîcheur. La bouche est dense, quasi séveuse, sur les notes de fruits foncés & des impressions de poussière de roche présentent du début à la fin. Les tannins sont bien présents mais fins & enrobés. Longueur moyenne, final sur les épices & les petits fruits sauvages. Très agréable!
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Deep black to garnet rim. Pungent feral notes include manure, barnyard and underbrush mingling with blackberry pastilles, blackcurrant jelly powder, violets and a smattering of spice. A powerful wine with a mineral, briny and feral 'sauvage' accent, dense solid tannins that are underscored by a lively, sappy acidity. There are bags of black fruits, 100% Lindt chocolate, iron nails, blood, game meats and olive tapenade. With great concentration and plenty of stuffing, the feral quality starts to dominate towards the back end. The finish is relatively long with iodine and a little drying as the tannin build. Already 9 years old, perhaps need more time but I found the wine quite challenging and a little inflexible.
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Theme was Saint Joseph or Cornas, blind. Dark garnet, no signs of age. Expressive nose, red fruits and some spice. Balanced palate, good structure, plenty of fruit. This could go some. Long finish.
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Very tasty and enjoyable. Nose is very classic with dark, brambly fruit; game meat, smoke, olive, violet, and stone. The palate is big, but balanced and is very open and drinkable at this point. Good concentration and intensity. Very good, will drink well for another 5-10 years.
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Coravin. Medium ruby, little to no bricking; high intensity aromatics, black fruit, smoke, gamey, iron/bloody minerality; palate is medium bodied, juicy blueberries, medium-plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium tannins that show up towards the end; finish is medium length and clean, slightly tart acid. Drinking well, full of Northern rhone syrah character, balanced well with a nice slight polish that balances out the more feral character on the nose, just a bit simple in depth and complexity on the palate. My last taste of this a year ago declined over 3 hours, so I won't let this get that far. I think this is a small bit better than my last experience, though the price is still high for the wine in the glass. 90 1.5 hours in: The fruit on the palate has receded, showing more of its acid. This is what happened with the last bottle I tried. Glad I Coravined this, and I hope the next glass or two still show as if the bottle was just opened. It has lost a lot of its initial intensity and character, so I would drink these up if you have them. 88-89
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This is a delicious and fascinating wine. It is certainly open for business and has a great nose of blue violets and some bell pepper. The orange rim indicates it is mature and the tannins are mellow. It has lots of dark red fruit, green pepper, mint, and a savory finish.
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After a couple of hours, this is surprisingly open, smooth, creamy accessible, full bodied but impeccably made. Some local identity here, black olives, smoke, iodine etc, yet, the smoothness prevails. #CharlieBird
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Inky purple. Expressive nose right from the get go - lightly vegetal, cherry, blackberry, flowers, spice - I like it. Palate and finish: Dry and mineral. Still a bit drying on the end. Certainly gets better / more balanced with time to breathe; nice. But far too pricey in my view.
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From younger vines and in a more forward approachable and affordable style, this is just beginning to drink. Plenty of fruit but no real sense of the Cornas terroir or Clape style, indeed feels rather 'international' and candidly there ar far more interesting wines at this price and maturity. A tad disappointing.
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This is a delicious cornas with dark red fruits, some mint, mellow tannins, and a medium finish. It has a suppleness to it that makes it easy to drink.
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Neapolitan Pizza (Dan's House): Medium-deep ruby; medium aromatics, red fruit, spice; palate is medium bodied, fresh medium acidity, good fruit, well balanced but without much complexity; medium finish. A very nice Northern Rhône Syrah, ready now and not likely to improve much but will last. 89 3 hours later: Fruit had completely faded on the palate. This was much better within the first hour or two of opening. No need to age this further, enjoy now for the pleasure it provides.
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Delicious as has been my consistent experience with the Clape wines; and very approachable with great balance now. The nose has lots of dark berry fruits, reminiscent of fresh blackberries and black currant; underlying this are hints of smoke, blood, pepper, and a hint of lavender. The palate has very good concentration, but the tannins are actually quite silky and integrate with no hard edges, great acidity, and mouthwatering finish. Really just a pleasure to drink.
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Le nez ça cause dans le micro : fruits noirs et rouges, âtre, violette, trait de vert et quelques notes sauvages complètent l'ensemble. Superbe ! Bouche à l'avenant, de la structure, du punch tout en préservant de la fluidité, très joli toucher de bouche avec un soupçon de fermeté Seule la finale, qu'on voudrait plus longue, amène un petit bémol !
Plaisir imparable sur une viande rouge !
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A little bottle variation compared to the last bottle as this was more accelerated. Still nice notes of pepper, liquid rocks, herbs, barnyard, good acids and tangy fruits. But a little pedestrian.
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Pop and poured into decanter. Drank over 1.5 hours. Saturday night at Straits UE. Appearance is clear, deep purplish ruby colour. Legs. Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of leafy earth, thick green forest, wild jungle animals, leather, smoky grilled herbs/capsicums, blackberries. Developing. On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), firm but polished yet chewy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of smoked meat, leather, grilled herbs, blackberries, and black cherries. Long finish. Very good quality. Definitely very approachable now already, but will continue to develop over the next 5 years. From 12-20 year old vines as compared to 30-60 years of the plain Clape Cornas. Aged for 22 months in 6 or 12 hl-foudres.
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Theme was Northern Rhone. This stood out as quite different. Dark garnet, showed a little age, most guessed 2010-2012. Nose was Syrah, but one taster said "this could be Bordeaux." Good wine, plenty of structure, lots of fruit, but different than the other Cornss and Hermitage on the table. My first Clape.
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Tasted over two days. Reticent and high pitched on the first day, showing well, but hinting at something more, even after it had been open for several hours. It bore its ever-lovin'-pure-Syrah teeth on the second day, featuring impressive range, depth, and expansiveness. Wonderfully balanced, true to place, stalwartly gripping, and ridiculously young. Seven to ten years should reveal an incredible wine. Perfect pairing with slow grilled tri-tip and my WOTN among several other great bottles.
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Was worried about the dreaded Clape corked bottle (have opened maybe 4-5 over the years) but after letting the funk blow off it was solid. Very tight on day 1 & 2 but fully opened on day 3. Lots of pepper, chalk and gravel with hints of bacon and cured meats, jalapeno water, grape jelly and ash. Probably shouldn't be opened for a decade from the vintage date.
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Good but needs time. Ideally time in the cellar, but if you must drink it now, decant and walk away for a couple hours. Very tightly wound upon first opening. Started to soften after 30 min and was much better after 90min. Inky purple. Dark berries, pepper, flowers, stone.
Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing and seems improved since the last experience with this wine. The bouquet shows blueberry, stone and black pepper notes. The color is a very dark ruby to purple. The full bodied palate shows rich youthful fruit. The wine gives a structured, medium length finish. This drinks well now with decanting and airing. The wine gives the impression it may benefit from additional bottle age.
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Oeil violet foncé; Le nez est d'abord sur l'austérité, tout est en un bloc. Les petits fruits bleus/mauves sauvages (bleuets & mûres) sont présents, accompagnées de petites notes fumées bien intégrées & agréables. Il y a des légères pointes florales subtils, qques notes poivrées. L'ensemble est somme toute frais & intense à la fois. La bouche est tout aussi sur l'austérité que le nez. Tannis sont nombreux & fins. La structure est bien "large", l'acidité est bien présente & apporte un bon compliment au corps qui est plus massif. Les petits fruits foncés sont présents, la finale est sur les épices (poivres) & assèche. La longeur y est, finale légèrement aqueuse. Très bien maintenant, sûrement mieux dans un autre 5 ans...
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Drank with a Charolais beef burger. First pretty closed but opening up with some air. Beautiful nose of dark berries, charcoal, raw meat, pepper, leather and crushed rocks. With some time in the glass notes of cigar tobacco appear. On the palate it's mainly dark fruit again but also smoke smoky minerality and peppery notes. It's pretty full-bodied with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is present but ripe. Good length. A textbook Cornas from this great producer. Give it 2 - 3 more years in bottle to open up some more. (93+)
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Drank over two days. Better day two, but not showing much beyond charcoal and rustic tannins. Light but complex palate hints at more with age. Dryness on finish detracts at this age.
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really sad. Opened much too young! Just wasn't ready. By day 2 started showing some northern Rhone notes but very closed at this point. Hang on to this one for a while.
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Decanted and poured, this wine gave a very good to excellent showing; however, there is a sense of leanness that detracts from the overall impression. The aromatics show dark fruits, floral notes, spice and underlying earth and leather notes. The color is dense, dark ruby to purple. It is youthful and vibrant. The medium bodied palate shows excellent overall balance and texture. Tannins and acidity are present on the medium length finish. A subtle sense of leanness keeps this from giving a more impressive showing. This wine may benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
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Go ahead and drink 2011 early! Feared I'd sacrifice a baby to a hungry volcano on this one by opening now, but it's perfect for drinking now or pretty damn close. Fresh ground beef aroma vs Vin des Amis of this vintage, no tactile heat (which is just awesome), white pepper/assy barnyard a touch but not unclean. Floral and unripe plum and black olive tapenade. Hard to stop drinking actually. Gets kinda beef chili (w kidney beans). Just lovely. Ginger and Worcestershire sauce/sweet soy sauce. This is ready to drink on the fruit, I think. I wonder if this will ever close down, or just drink straight through to the mid-term.
France 2013 – Northern Rhone; 4/17/2013-4/19/2013 (Ampuis): Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel (final blend). Wow, what a nose. Very different than anything yet. High toned with floral and dark berry aromas. Tight on the palate with chewy tannins and a long finish. A classic Cornas with great acidity. This will need 5-7+ years at least. (91-93).
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3/29/2024 - Dexi wrote: 94 Points
Gorgeous. Fruit, florals and meaty charcuterie-esque notes perfectly melded together.
Only 1 bottle so can't make a considered comparison, but feels like it's at sitting in peak at the moment. Can't see it improving much more, but reckon it's still got a few years to go before dropping off
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12/29/2023 - ccn wrote: 91 Points
This has improved significantly since my last bottle. Nice the first night but possible still a bit nervous/ edgy -- but boy was it singing on day two. Feels at or near peak.
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11/8/2023 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Slow-o for a few hours. Tasted alongside the 2009 Gruaud Larose and Langoa Barton. Paired with braised short ribs, polenta, sauteed mushrooms, and vegetables.
The best wine on the table and the best pairing with the full meal. Rustic and savory, backed by coal and smoke notes. Powerfully, albeit deceptively, structured. The wine strengthened from front to back and finished quite long.
This seems to be toward the end of its evolution, or just entering its drinking window. Certainly worth checking in on, particularly after a 2+ hour decant. Likely to hold form through 2032 or so.
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7/27/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Third bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2016. Decanted 30 minutes in advance. Despite the young(ish) vines and the lighter year, this displays good intensity and drive, but the fruit concentration is limited. On the nose the flavours and aromas (green and black olives, violets and roses, crushed red berries), are convincing and there is cedary warmth from older wood; medium body (13% ABV) and bright acidity on the energetic and well-defined palate, firm but well integrated tannins; tight and salty finish with good resonance and length. Exemplary terroir expression but not one for the long term - eventually this will dry out, as the structural elements will easily outlast the (modest) fruit. Drink now - 2026.
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6/26/2022 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Drank alongside the 2007. A more red fruited and leaner profile compared to the '07, with more olive tapenade as well. Like the '07 this is drinking very well right now. I don’t think many of these 2011 Rhones will make super old bones, but who cares, as they are drinking great now.
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2/12/2022 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is very mature, but should continue to drink well for several more years. Like my last bottle of this vintage, there are black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. It is definitely at the apogee of its drinking window.
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12/25/2021 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
This bottle is very similar to my last one of this vintage. There are lots of black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. It is at the apogee of its drinking window.
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7/31/2021 - ccn wrote: 89 Points
Fully mature and very pleasant, if nothing especially complex. If anything slightly declining. Fully integrated at this point with medium length and complexity but a very nice soft fruit. There is a nervous tension in the acidity that I suspect reflects the young vines.
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5/31/2021 - Andydna Likes this wine: 92 Points
Really nice savory and smokey nose to balance the dark black fruit. Yum.
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10/24/2020 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
There are lots of black fruits, including blackberries, blackcurrent and bing cherries with this wine. It is earthy with lots of minerality. Blue violets on the nose invite you in. As it glides across your palate, it brings such pleasure with its mellow tannins and full mouthfeel of dark red fruits and garrique. What a wine!
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9/19/2020 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is an interesting wine that draws you in. Lots of black fruit, including blackberries and bing cherries, blue violets on the nose, mellow tannins, garrique, a full mouthfeel and a long finish. A lovely Cornas for current consumption, but has years ahead of it.
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8/22/2020 - portman63 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite deep with meatiness and a wild element with intense iron and minerality. In the mid palate to finish it is black fruited and cleaner on the finish than I expected. Definitely a big intense wine, but not in any kind of modern sense of jammy Syrah, just intense deep meatiness.
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7/16/2020 - ccn wrote: 88 Points
Funky and interesting nose but quite disjointed in the mouth. Disappointing.
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6/2/2020 - hhcave wrote: 92 Points
Pronounced and complex nose of green olives, blackcurrant, red plum, smoke, meat, wet earth, must, subtle oak influence. Deep ruby turning garnet on rim. Medium(+) acidity and body, high course grained tannins, long finish. Fruit has started to settle and the wine is entering its drinking window now - Would like to see how tertiary notes develop
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4/15/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
First bottle from a half case purchased from the Dutch importer in 2016. At present, there is a 90 minute window after decanting to enjoy this wine at its peak. During this time, the wine displays a wonderful flowing finesse, with a rich but polished character, a refined Syrah without any rusticity or rough edges. During these 90 minutes it is a first-rate Northern Rhône, with moderate weight but real class and elegance. (93). After that, the nobleman turns into a peasant almost instantly. It's still a commendable wine at this stage, but it is almost unrecognisable. (90). My score holds the middle ground with fond memories of its state of grace, when it was a perfect foil for Tartiflette made with Roseval potatoes, Coppa Citerio, Roscoff onions, Zwaluwgekwetter cheese, white wine and cream.
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4/9/2020 - Blair Curtis wrote: 91 Points
On opening this has an intoxicating nose of ripe black fruit, but with complicating notions of game meat and steak blood. Soon after opening the palate is gorgeous but linear. In this case, it seems this might be a combination of the relative youth of the wine, with a slight lack of material or a leaner style. The acids are solid and noticeable. There is a bit of delicious white pepper on the finish. But this was opened with the intent of following the bottle over several hours...so I will return and edit in further notes on the progress of the wine this evening...
One hour in the wine has started to expand - with air and slightly warmer temperature the wine seems more fleshy, but never at the level of what one sees in warm vintages like 2015. The wine remains composed and very nicely structured. The color is vibrant and strong. Very few signs of aging.
Two hours into the bottle, it is really hitting its stride. Continues to show just enough animale character to add real interest to the excellent black fruits. Now some minerality shows as well (beyond the iron found in the blood note in the wine). Some black olives show as well. Very drinkable, but with a solid backbone.
Overall - no harm in drinking this now if you let it have some time in glass/decanter, and would be even better with food...especially grilled meat. But this bottle showed as a wine that will improve for another 10 years at least.
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4/6/2020 - sidaga Likes this wine: 91 Points
Robe cerise dense;
Nez sérieux, sur des notes de petits fruits bleus & noirs (mûres, bleuets), il y a beaucoup de parfum floraux, des épices, de la tapenade d'olive & cette impression austère apportée par des notes de poussière de roche & de terre aride. Bouquet tout en fraîcheur.
La bouche est dense, quasi séveuse, sur les notes de fruits foncés & des impressions de poussière de roche présentent du début à la fin. Les tannins sont bien présents mais fins & enrobés. Longueur moyenne, final sur les épices & les petits fruits sauvages. Très agréable!
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3/27/2020 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 89 Points
Deep black to garnet rim.
Pungent feral notes include manure, barnyard and underbrush mingling with blackberry pastilles, blackcurrant jelly powder, violets and a smattering of spice.
A powerful wine with a mineral, briny and feral 'sauvage' accent, dense solid tannins that are underscored by a lively, sappy acidity. There are bags of black fruits, 100% Lindt chocolate, iron nails, blood, game meats and olive tapenade. With great concentration and plenty of stuffing, the feral quality starts to dominate towards the back end. The finish is relatively long with iodine and a little drying as the tannin build. Already 9 years old, perhaps need more time but I found the wine quite challenging and a little inflexible.
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2/21/2020 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 90 Points
Theme was Saint Joseph or Cornas, blind. Dark garnet, no signs of age. Expressive nose, red fruits and some spice. Balanced palate, good structure, plenty of fruit. This could go some. Long finish.
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12/18/2019 - KeithAkers wrote: flawed
sadly this is corked
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12/3/2019 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Very tasty and enjoyable. Nose is very classic with dark, brambly fruit; game meat, smoke, olive, violet, and stone. The palate is big, but balanced and is very open and drinkable at this point. Good concentration and intensity. Very good, will drink well for another 5-10 years.
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10/27/2019 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Coravin. Medium ruby, little to no bricking; high intensity aromatics, black fruit, smoke, gamey, iron/bloody minerality; palate is medium bodied, juicy blueberries, medium-plus acidity, medium alcohol, medium tannins that show up towards the end; finish is medium length and clean, slightly tart acid. Drinking well, full of Northern rhone syrah character, balanced well with a nice slight polish that balances out the more feral character on the nose, just a bit simple in depth and complexity on the palate. My last taste of this a year ago declined over 3 hours, so I won't let this get that far. I think this is a small bit better than my last experience, though the price is still high for the wine in the glass. 90
1.5 hours in: The fruit on the palate has receded, showing more of its acid. This is what happened with the last bottle I tried. Glad I Coravined this, and I hope the next glass or two still show as if the bottle was just opened. It has lost a lot of its initial intensity and character, so I would drink these up if you have them. 88-89
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10/19/2019 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is a delicious and fascinating wine. It is certainly open for business and has a great nose of blue violets and some bell pepper. The orange rim indicates it is mature and the tannins are mellow. It has lots of dark red fruit, green pepper, mint, and a savory finish.
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10/12/2019 - beatles wrote: 91 Points
After a couple of hours, this is surprisingly open, smooth, creamy accessible, full bodied but impeccably made. Some local identity here, black olives, smoke, iodine etc, yet, the smoothness prevails.
#CharlieBird
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6/28/2019 - ZMAng wrote: 89 Points
Inky purple. Expressive nose right from the get go - lightly vegetal, cherry, blackberry, flowers, spice - I like it. Palate and finish: Dry and mineral. Still a bit drying on the end. Certainly gets better / more balanced with time to breathe; nice. But far too pricey in my view.
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6/3/2019 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 87 Points
From younger vines and in a more forward approachable and affordable style, this is just beginning to drink. Plenty of fruit but no real sense of the Cornas terroir or Clape style, indeed feels rather 'international' and candidly there ar far more interesting wines at this price and maturity. A tad disappointing.
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3/9/2019 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is a delicious cornas with dark red fruits, some mint, mellow tannins, and a medium finish. It has a suppleness to it that makes it easy to drink.
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6/24/2018 - aagrawal wrote: 89 Points
Neapolitan Pizza (Dan's House): Medium-deep ruby; medium aromatics, red fruit, spice; palate is medium bodied, fresh medium acidity, good fruit, well balanced but without much complexity; medium finish. A very nice Northern Rhône Syrah, ready now and not likely to improve much but will last. 89
3 hours later: Fruit had completely faded on the palate. This was much better within the first hour or two of opening. No need to age this further, enjoy now for the pleasure it provides.
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5/6/2018 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Delicious as has been my consistent experience with the Clape wines; and very approachable with great balance now. The nose has lots of dark berry fruits, reminiscent of fresh blackberries and black currant; underlying this are hints of smoke, blood, pepper, and a hint of lavender. The palate has very good concentration, but the tannins are actually quite silky and integrate with no hard edges, great acidity, and mouthwatering finish. Really just a pleasure to drink.
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1/6/2018 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
This wine finally starting to open really delicious.. Bright color rby red excellent length.
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11/25/2017 - broadband013 wrote: 90 Points
90-91 vraiment très agréable !
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11/5/2017 - Marc C Likes this wine: 91 Points
Le nez ça cause dans le micro : fruits noirs et rouges, âtre, violette, trait de vert et quelques notes sauvages complètent l'ensemble. Superbe !
Bouche à l'avenant, de la structure, du punch tout en préservant de la fluidité, très joli toucher de bouche avec un soupçon de fermeté
Seule la finale, qu'on voudrait plus longue, amène un petit bémol !
Plaisir imparable sur une viande rouge !
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10/28/2017 - fipile wrote: 86 Points
Some funkiness/barnyard notes. Tannins still rough, with graphite and blackcurrant in the palate. Medium finish.
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8/8/2017 - bajayngo wrote:
A little bottle variation compared to the last bottle as this was more accelerated. Still nice notes of pepper, liquid rocks, herbs, barnyard, good acids and tangy fruits. But a little pedestrian.
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7/8/2017 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine: 94 Points
Pop and poured into decanter. Drank over 1.5 hours. Saturday night at Straits UE.
Appearance is clear, deep purplish ruby colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of leafy earth, thick green forest, wild jungle animals, leather, smoky grilled herbs/capsicums, blackberries. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13%), firm but polished yet chewy high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of smoked meat, leather, grilled herbs, blackberries, and black cherries. Long finish.
Very good quality. Definitely very approachable now already, but will continue to develop over the next 5 years.
From 12-20 year old vines as compared to 30-60 years of the plain Clape Cornas.
Aged for 22 months in 6 or 12 hl-foudres.
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6/16/2017 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 90 Points
Theme was Northern Rhone. This stood out as quite different. Dark garnet, showed a little age, most guessed 2010-2012. Nose was Syrah, but one taster said "this could be Bordeaux." Good wine, plenty of structure, lots of fruit, but different than the other Cornss and Hermitage on the table. My first Clape.
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4/25/2017 - Motz wrote: 94 Points
Tasted over two days. Reticent and high pitched on the first day, showing well, but hinting at something more, even after it had been open for several hours. It bore its ever-lovin'-pure-Syrah teeth on the second day, featuring impressive range, depth, and expansiveness. Wonderfully balanced, true to place, stalwartly gripping, and ridiculously young. Seven to ten years should reveal an incredible wine. Perfect pairing with slow grilled tri-tip and my WOTN among several other great bottles.
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3/15/2017 - bajayngo wrote:
Was worried about the dreaded Clape corked bottle (have opened maybe 4-5 over the years) but after letting the funk blow off it was solid. Very tight on day 1 & 2 but fully opened on day 3. Lots of pepper, chalk and gravel with hints of bacon and cured meats, jalapeno water, grape jelly and ash. Probably shouldn't be opened for a decade from the vintage date.
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1/19/2017 - R.H. Likes this wine:
Good but needs time. Ideally time in the cellar, but if you must drink it now, decant and walk away for a couple hours. Very tightly wound upon first opening. Started to soften after 30 min and was much better after 90min. Inky purple. Dark berries, pepper, flowers, stone.
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1/6/2017 - larsmello Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark berries, violets, tapenade and pepper on the nose. Good acidity and balance.
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8/23/2016 - lepetitchateau wrote:
Tasted this after a day being opened for others at cocktails, and it was riddled with overly ripe fruit and rot... Who knows...
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5/19/2016 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Improved since last tasting. Better berry fruit, very strong animale and barnyard. Still some leanness, which detracts overall.
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4/9/2016 - sehill Likes this wine: 91 Points
Decanted and poured, this bottle gave an excellent showing and seems improved since the last experience with this wine. The bouquet shows blueberry, stone and black pepper notes. The color is a very dark ruby to purple. The full bodied palate shows rich youthful fruit. The wine gives a structured, medium length finish. This drinks well now with decanting and airing. The wine gives the impression it may benefit from additional bottle age.
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12/11/2015 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
Very tight big and rich, i recall this wine was more floral and elegant a year ago..
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10/31/2015 - sidaga Likes this wine: 89 Points
Oeil violet foncé;
Le nez est d'abord sur l'austérité, tout est en un bloc. Les petits fruits bleus/mauves sauvages (bleuets & mûres) sont présents, accompagnées de petites notes fumées bien intégrées & agréables. Il y a des légères pointes florales subtils, qques notes poivrées. L'ensemble est somme toute frais & intense à la fois.
La bouche est tout aussi sur l'austérité que le nez. Tannis sont nombreux & fins. La structure est bien "large", l'acidité est bien présente & apporte un bon compliment au corps qui est plus massif. Les petits fruits foncés sont présents, la finale est sur les épices (poivres) & assèche. La longeur y est, finale légèrement aqueuse. Très bien maintenant, sûrement mieux dans un autre 5 ans...
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5/16/2015 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank with a Charolais beef burger. First pretty closed but opening up with some air. Beautiful nose of dark berries, charcoal, raw meat, pepper, leather and crushed rocks. With some time in the glass notes of cigar tobacco appear. On the palate it's mainly dark fruit again but also smoke smoky minerality and peppery notes. It's pretty full-bodied with medium-high acidity and medium-high tannin that is present but ripe. Good length. A textbook Cornas from this great producer. Give it 2 - 3 more years in bottle to open up some more. (93+)
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9/20/2014 - Sixchips600 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Drank over two days. Better day two, but not showing much beyond charcoal and rustic tannins. Light but complex palate hints at more with age. Dryness on finish detracts at this age.
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5/20/2014 - Curt Hawkins Likes this wine: 89 Points
really sad. Opened much too young! Just wasn't ready. By day 2 started showing some northern Rhone notes but very closed at this point. Hang on to this one for a while.
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4/4/2014 - sehill wrote: 90 Points
Decanted and poured, this wine gave a very good to excellent showing; however, there is a sense of leanness that detracts from the overall impression. The aromatics show dark fruits, floral notes, spice and underlying earth and leather notes. The color is dense, dark ruby to purple. It is youthful and vibrant. The medium bodied palate shows excellent overall balance and texture. Tannins and acidity are present on the medium length finish. A subtle sense of leanness keeps this from giving a more impressive showing. This wine may benefit from an additional year or two of bottle age.
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2/14/2014 - Gargantua Likes this wine: 93 Points
Go ahead and drink 2011 early! Feared I'd sacrifice a baby to a hungry volcano on this one by opening now, but it's perfect for drinking now or pretty damn close. Fresh ground beef aroma vs Vin des Amis of this vintage, no tactile heat (which is just awesome), white pepper/assy barnyard a touch but not unclean. Floral and unripe plum and black olive tapenade. Hard to stop drinking actually. Gets kinda beef chili (w kidney beans). Just lovely. Ginger and Worcestershire sauce/sweet soy sauce. This is ready to drink on the fruit, I think. I wonder if this will ever close down, or just drink straight through to the mid-term.
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2/12/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dorks syrah tasting, Gabe's wine. Lovely dusty nose, floral, fastidiously fresh and toned. A perfect Cornas, classy.
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4/17/2013 - godx wrote:
France 2013 – Northern Rhone; 4/17/2013-4/19/2013 (Ampuis): Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel (final blend). Wow, what a nose. Very different than anything yet. High toned with floral and dark berry aromas. Tight on the palate with chewy tannins and a long finish. A classic Cornas with great acidity. This will need 5-7+ years at least. (91-93).
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