Nice clear red color -- a good sign. On first opening a bit closed, with a bit of barnyard rusticity with very little fruit. With time in the glass and in the bottle, started to open up with more complex flavors. The fruit became more defined -- darkish red, but with that overall brooding flavor one associates with older reds. Still pretty rustic, the flavor lengthens a bit more. After a day in the bottle, about half filled, the flavors brighten -- bright red fruit flavor with a nice overlay of barnyard rusticity -- very pleasant finish that balances the fruit and rusticity nicely. This might continue developing for a few more years. Unfortunately this is my last bottle!
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Textbook blood and iron. Very clean. Lots of presence if a touch lean. Not mean though - more sinewy. Lacks the complexity for top marks. Very enjoyable; and little change over 2 hours, so no hurry on this showing.
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I could write it all again but this bottle summons the same experience as in the tasting note from last month. Terrific wine, terrific QPR, with the caveat that you don't mind some animale' and rusticity in your Northern Rhone reds. Didn't plan to open this last night, but had to grab something quickly, on very short notice. Bottle #5 of six.
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Medium red, vibrant. Aromas are pure Cornas from great years: bags of olives, smokey fire, roasted meats, tarry and almost roasted raspberry, menthol. On arrival, medium-low tannin and balanced acidity, each stiffening with two hours air. In the mouth, flavors echo the nose, with a little vague animale' (fur, if you ever had sweaty horse hair in your mouth you'd remember this forever) in there too. Finishes with fine-grained, persistent tannin; very fine, long. Bottle #4 of six.
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Medium red-purple, much fine sediment. Nose of olives, salami, black raspberry, garrigue. Medium acids, medium tannin; balanced. Flavors typical of Cornas' soil, meaty, earthy, tarry, deep berry fruit with a good lash of acids and mineral aftertaste. Finishes a little tart. Long life ahead. Bottle #3 of six.
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dark, opaque purple, this is redolent of earth and ripe plum, with slightly metallic beef overtones. Tannis quite well integrated into the overall picture, and not as rustic as I expected, showing an almost elegant mouth-coating presence and very good length. Very classy Cornas.
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9/4/2015 - Ron Slye wrote: 91 Points
Nice clear red color -- a good sign. On first opening a bit closed, with a bit of barnyard rusticity with very little fruit. With time in the glass and in the bottle, started to open up with more complex flavors. The fruit became more defined -- darkish red, but with that overall brooding flavor one associates with older reds. Still pretty rustic, the flavor lengthens a bit more. After a day in the bottle, about half filled, the flavors brighten -- bright red fruit flavor with a nice overlay of barnyard rusticity -- very pleasant finish that balances the fruit and rusticity nicely. This might continue developing for a few more years. Unfortunately this is my last bottle!
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3/21/2015 - king-bing wrote:
Textbook blood and iron. Very clean. Lots of presence if a touch lean. Not mean though - more sinewy. Lacks the complexity for top marks. Very enjoyable; and little change over 2 hours, so no hurry on this showing.
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12/10/2014 - Hodby wrote: 92 Points
I could write it all again but this bottle summons the same experience as in the tasting note from last month. Terrific wine, terrific QPR, with the caveat that you don't mind some animale' and rusticity in your Northern Rhone reds. Didn't plan to open this last night, but had to grab something quickly, on very short notice. Bottle #5 of six.
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11/12/2014 - Hodby wrote: 92 Points
Medium red, vibrant. Aromas are pure Cornas from great years: bags of olives, smokey fire, roasted meats, tarry and almost roasted raspberry, menthol. On arrival, medium-low tannin and balanced acidity, each stiffening with two hours air. In the mouth, flavors echo the nose, with a little vague animale' (fur, if you ever had sweaty horse hair in your mouth you'd remember this forever) in there too. Finishes with fine-grained, persistent tannin; very fine, long. Bottle #4 of six.
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1/29/2011 - Hodby wrote: 90 Points
Medium red-purple, much fine sediment. Nose of olives, salami, black raspberry, garrigue. Medium acids, medium tannin; balanced. Flavors typical of Cornas' soil, meaty, earthy, tarry, deep berry fruit with a good lash of acids and mineral aftertaste. Finishes a little tart. Long life ahead. Bottle #3 of six.
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11/2/2006 - i musicisti di boston wrote:
dark, opaque purple, this is redolent of earth and ripe plum, with slightly metallic beef overtones. Tannis quite well integrated into the overall picture, and not as rustic as I expected, showing an almost elegant mouth-coating presence and very good length. Very classy Cornas.
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