June 22, 2023 - Drank this over two nights and day 2 was WOW!
DAY 1: PnP and it took 30 minutes in the glass for some funk to blow off and then aromas of cassis and herbs presented themselves faintly on the nose. The palate was fresh and complex with tastes of blackberry, cassis, violets, and black pepper. Full-bodied, but not heavy, with tannins that left their grip on the gums through the long, black pepper finish.
DAY 2: The nose was reticent on the first day, but on day 2 there were aromas of cherry, cassis, roasted meat, sanguine, and herbs. The palate was a show stopper on this wine. Fresh and lively with bold tastes of cherry cassis, violets, and black pepper. The grippy, peppery finish was just as long and wonderful as the first day.
December 31, 2021 - dark fruits, slight tobacco, slight charred oak, slight herbs. Slight improvement after 2 hours aeration.
April 13, 2021 - Still very tight
March 6, 2020 - Dark fruits, barnyard, tobacco, herbs, great balance. Kept improving with aeration, 2-3 hours of aeration.
February 17, 2019 - Dark cherries and spices, powerful Syrah, a bit rustique, quite open and ready for business.
October 28, 2018 - Cornas Birthday lunch (McLeay Street Bistro, Potts Point): "Gamey, slight stalks, red over blackberry fruit, juicy and juicy red fruit, a little pointy, softly tannic but pleasant enough.
After about 60 minutes it's meaty, charcutier with red and blackberry, fresh, gamey, meaty, savoury, coffee notes…quite yum"
October 27, 2018 - Right now, this is showing black olive, pepper and even tobacco notes. There's a core of red raspberry fruit that tight and wiry right now. It has nice weight and structure, iron and meat come on with time. It hasn't rounded out yet, needs some years to really unwind. But there appears to be good material here and it is already a decent drink.
June 30, 2018 - Cherries, quite a lot of tannins, bottle less open compared to the last one some months ago.
February 6, 2018 - Pnp, dark color, lots of cherries, middle density, pepper, other spices, but the cherry fruit is dominating. This is stuff which is already ok for drinking (on the fruit). Some years of cellaring will of course put the things more together.
January 18, 2017 - Flickinger's tasting at the Casino (The Casino, Chicago IL): Nose: The nose is balanced and aromatic with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, and black pepper. There is good depth with it showing less of a rustic and more of a peppery style of Cornas.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and high tannins. The structure is youthful, but not overpowering with the tannins having a chewiness to them. The feel is robust with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, leather, and black pepper notes.
Overall: This was an excellent Cornas. It is young, but there is excellent balance and structure for this to develop more over the next 5+ years.