January 10, 2023 - Tasted 10 years ago this wine seemed excessively ripe. Even I have a hard time believing what time has accomplished here: this bottle, anyway, isn't overdone at all. Hardly -- the label says 12.5% alc. and that's about how it presents. Cool aromas of olive tapenade; fresh, fleshy, purple fruit on the palate without a hint of over-ripeness, and a bit of remaining tannins. Is it the greatest example of M. Verset's craft? No, it's not, but his personal stamp is in evidence. This is literally the first French wine from this vintage to stir my interest and provide real pleasure. I haven't a clue how he managed it. I truly enjoyed this.
December 30, 2015 - I heard legends that this man could transcend any vintage expectations and so I purchased this and rolled the dice. Apparently was the hottest it's been in decades during the 2003 vintage. Yes, it's true, this was like a raspberry pie in a glass giving off refined animal aromas. Managed to get all the good stuff out of the cornas wine and backed with the right acidity...WTF. Heroes get remembered. Legends never die. Right up there with allemand with a a bit of extra soul. RIP
April 3, 2013 - OK but too primary. Surmaturité.
December 25, 2012 - Given the context of the vintage, this is classic Verset.
October 3, 2012 - This wine was unpleasant. Could not drink it. Strange taste. At a tasting, asked if the bottle was bad, and the answer was no.
March 31, 2012 - Not even M. Verset could overcome la canicule. I expected this to be marked by the vintage (like everything else) but hoped it would also bear Verset's stamp. Instead it's quite simple, dark, and 'pleasant,' a word I've not used to describe any of the other vintages I've tasted. Even the wine he made in the washed out year of 2002 was more characteristic. I guess extreme heat is inimical to the type of wine I enjoy, end even a master cannot overcome its effects.
March 11, 2012 - Powerful red and dark fruited flavours accented by faint smoky notes on a full bodied frame with low acidity; while it's not bad and reasonably balanced, it's rather one-note and anonymous, showing no real character whatsoever.
December 20, 2011 - Decanted 1-2 hours. This needs it (tasted prior to decant the bouquet was pretty evolved, but the palate was tight). Very rich, farm, pooey bouquet all mixed up with dollops of blackberry pie. Some spice, vanilla and leather. Palate beautifully integrated, balanced organic and fruits. Long, very persistent finish and ultra-Cornas with its dung-meets-jam-with-all-due-elegance. Complex though. Paired with blackened New York strip wonderfully. This is one of those wines you can still taste the next day.
Amazing stuff (93-94)
November 3, 2011 - Verset Dinner: The only wine of the night that I honestly just didn't care for. Not in any way a bad wine, just stylistically so different from everything else in its opulence and exotic fruit profile - pomegranate, black tea, liqueur. Huge on the palate and without sufficient acidity (in my opinion) to balance the wine properly. Some tasters felt that it is good for drinking now, that it is delicious. I was distracted by its "other-ness," and simply did not enjoy it. I can say that if you are looking for classic Verset, this is most assuredly not it.
May 6, 2011 - Ready to drink but will be good for at least another 10 years. Smokey nose w/ red, black and blue fruit. Very fine nose. Palate was very tannic and acidic at first so I decanted for an hour which helped tremendously. Delicious fruit, with herbs and a hit of licorice. Good to the last drop!