Decanted 2 hrs. After a meh bottle a few years ago and with my taste veering towards more traditional styled NR’s, I didn’t have high expectations here. Better than expected. Still nothing I would rush to go buy again (especially at current prices) the French oak is fully integrated to at least showcase some mature Syrah characteristics. Cedary blackberries and touches of black olive move things along, and being a firmly in the modern Cornas mold, I was impressed with the lack of weight /smooth texture. Solid finish, some leather and touches briary concludes. Solid. Altogether a good wine, no regrets, but reflecting a bit the next day, if this is a style of wine you seek, you should run to ‘The ‘Rocks District’ AVA in Walla Walla WA. Similar in style, but the higher end Syrah’s (Cayuse, Reynvaan etc) would do laps around this wine. Plenty of excellent options around $40 to $60 too.
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Still very deep red. Dark and youthful. Despite the modern oak treatment, with age, this wine is showing classic northern Rhône characteristics: meaty, animal and full of dark berry, earthy goodness. Coarse texture that bursts with extract and supported by a healthy structure. A rough and tumble wine that has reached perfect maturity. I think this pleases all Rhône lovers, traditional and modern. Introduced to this by the wonderful original Sommelier at The Modern in NYC. Glad he did. (93)
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It was one of those nights where I was planning on cooking lamb and decided to give this another go. It was the Cornas on the label. I hadn't opened a Cornas in a long while. What a mistake. Most of this wine went into my sauce. If you like Syrah with your oak then this is the wine for you. The mid palate was pretty flabby and was held together by the very strong oak tannins.
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Modern Cornas. Yucch. Why? So much personality potential, yet it's clean, too perfect in fruit. Oh well, I'll stick to Paris. American palates will love this.
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Decanted 2 hrs. There is no question that there is quality fruit and winemaking here; yes there is clearly a good dose of new oak, which didn't stand out as excessive via vanilla or other creamy notes. The fruit has a gentle touch, almost a restrained quality that is balanced and the wine overall has a nice harmony, hence the 90 score. It did however, have little in personality or identity, I would have been happy with a more fruit leaning wine or the more savory traits of a more traditional French Syrah, but instead, this just stops short in its tracks and left me a little cold. At current prices, easy pass for me going forward.
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Ok guys. May be this is my personal taste but this wine is SO Parker Compliant. Very powerfull. Lots of oak. Dark color. Clearly it did not feel Like a Syrah or nothern Rhône. This stuff can easily be compared to Bordeaux grand cru. No real passion in it. Bit disapointed SO as my guest which did not really liked IT ( too powerfull ) At least 2 Hours decant needed.
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Deep garnet color with no purple. Polished nose that points to modern handling (oak) yet clearly displays classic fruit and peppery notes. Similar conclusions can be drawn from the palate - pristine fruit and nice earthiness comes with a more modern lush / velvety texture. That said, it is not the slightest bit heavy or out of balance. Full of stuffing yet with lovely balance. I am not typically drawn to modern interpretations of Northern Rhone reds (Guigal is an exception), but I like this a bunch. All the make-up is really well done and the classic beauty of the wine shines through. Delicious. (93)
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Very dark in colour and not showing much bricking. Intense nose, lots of blackberry and black cherry fruit, sweet, ripe fruit, black cherry, currant fruit, quite soft with mild tannins. Nice finish with lots of complexity. Very nice wine, drinking well.
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From a magnum, this was bonkers good from the get go but got better over a couple of hours. Supple smoke, roast beef, gravel and medium bodied black fruits in a harmonious frame. Sneaky length based on balance not extracted power. For me at or near peak.
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This was better on night two than it was on night one. There was great dark roasted almost charred fruit and cedar notes. It became flatter and more gravely on night two.
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A lot of brett initially, settled in with a beefy, dark nose. good fruit (blackberry) and some minerality. medium finish. not as complex as could be, but very good.
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Decanted for four hours - twice - using a funnel. Mocha, blackberry, leather, licorice, blueberry and scorched earth. A soft and plush mid, with some spice on the long finish. I agree with the Medoc comparison; the tannins are Bordeaux-soft, with freshness. Just starting to sing and cellar-worthy. Drink 2012 - 2022.
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Sure, we’ve all had the odd glass or bottle of a new world Cabernet, Merlot, or Bordeaux blend, and said “Hey, this kinda smells a like a good Left bank wine etc etc, but coming from a modernista Cornas producer – WTF? Indeed, just having had the 99 Palmer a few weeks ago, the nose on this puppy was damn near identical and in almost every way – perfumes of cassis and aged tobacco, cool mint tones, graphite and minerality up the Wazzu, it was all there leaving no doubt in my mind this would have fooled the best of em’. Oh man the palate was just a beast, and firmly in the old world Syrah camp, if just a tad (and I mean just a touch) modern. Tannic and pretty much impenetrable (yet light on its feet in that classic French manner), it was hard to really get a good read on this, but the high end raw materials are there, it just needs time. A lot of time. BTW this was decanted a good 8 hrs and I really wish I would have been able to track this over the course of a few days, oh well, it was really good even so. Having the 99 of this wine last year, Jean Luc knows his stuff, no question.
One of the best wines of 2010. Perfectly ripe red fruit, great structure and intensity, medium (+) body and acidity. Secondary aromas and flavours coming in making this wine very complex and full of adventurous layers. Just great. Purchased this bottle directly from the estate when visiting in 2008. Could develop another 4-5 years to reach its peak, however, will last much longer and is ready to drink now. Cheers!
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09 cayuse dinner quick notes - just a monster and baby. Was double decanted and still was tight as a drum. Dry red fruits, underbrush, meat and tannins galore. I loved this stuff and wish I had better notes!
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3/30/2023 - Dale M wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. After a meh bottle a few years ago and with my taste veering towards more traditional styled NR’s, I didn’t have high expectations here. Better than expected. Still nothing I would rush to go buy again (especially at current prices) the French oak is fully integrated to at least showcase some mature Syrah characteristics. Cedary blackberries and touches of black olive move things along, and being a firmly in the modern Cornas mold, I was impressed with the lack of weight /smooth texture. Solid finish, some leather and touches briary concludes. Solid. Altogether a good wine, no regrets, but reflecting a bit the next day, if this is a style of wine you seek, you should run to ‘The ‘Rocks District’ AVA in Walla Walla WA. Similar in style, but the higher end Syrah’s (Cayuse, Reynvaan etc) would do laps around this wine. Plenty of excellent options around $40 to $60 too.
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1/4/2020 - dragonian Likes this wine:
Deep red color. A touch of smoke on the nose. Oak was not overpowering. Dark red cherries, currants. Paired beautifully with the seared duck breast.
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6/25/2019 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Still very deep red. Dark and youthful. Despite the modern oak treatment, with age, this wine is showing classic northern Rhône characteristics: meaty, animal and full of dark berry, earthy goodness. Coarse texture that bursts with extract and supported by a healthy structure. A rough and tumble wine that has reached perfect maturity. I think this pleases all Rhône lovers, traditional and modern. Introduced to this by the wonderful original Sommelier at The Modern in NYC. Glad he did. (93)
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4/20/2019 - Fractalage Does not like this wine: 87 Points
It was one of those nights where I was planning on cooking lamb and decided to give this another go. It was the Cornas on the label. I hadn't opened a Cornas in a long while. What a mistake. Most of this wine went into my sauce.
If you like Syrah with your oak then this is the wine for you.
The mid palate was pretty flabby and was held together by the very strong oak tannins.
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1/24/2019 - Fractalage wrote: 90 Points
Modern Cornas.
Yucch.
Why?
So much personality potential, yet it's clean, too perfect in fruit.
Oh well, I'll stick to Paris.
American palates will love this.
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9/26/2018 - BriGuy22 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice French wine. Time to drink now
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1/3/2018 - Dale M wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hrs. There is no question that there is quality fruit and winemaking here; yes there is clearly a good dose of new oak, which didn't stand out as excessive via vanilla or other creamy notes. The fruit has a gentle touch, almost a restrained quality that is balanced and the wine overall has a nice harmony, hence the 90 score. It did however, have little in personality or identity, I would have been happy with a more fruit leaning wine or the more savory traits of a more traditional French Syrah, but instead, this just stops short in its tracks and left me a little cold. At current prices, easy pass for me going forward.
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7/28/2017 - ctwjr Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark fruit, mature and ready to drink, nice finish.
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12/29/2016 - Kefrens Does not like this wine: 87 Points
Ok guys. May be this is my personal taste but this wine is SO Parker Compliant.
Very powerfull. Lots of oak. Dark color.
Clearly it did not feel Like a Syrah or nothern Rhône. This stuff can easily be compared to Bordeaux grand cru. No real passion in it. Bit disapointed SO as my guest which did not really liked IT ( too powerfull )
At least 2 Hours decant needed.
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12/21/2016 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Deep garnet color with no purple. Polished nose that points to modern handling (oak) yet clearly displays classic fruit and peppery notes. Similar conclusions can be drawn from the palate - pristine fruit and nice earthiness comes with a more modern lush / velvety texture. That said, it is not the slightest bit heavy or out of balance. Full of stuffing yet with lovely balance. I am not typically drawn to modern interpretations of Northern Rhone reds (Guigal is an exception), but I like this a bunch. All the make-up is really well done and the classic beauty of the wine shines through. Delicious. (93)
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1/22/2016 - thebonnydooner wrote: 91 Points
Very dark in colour and not showing much bricking. Intense nose, lots of blackberry and black cherry fruit, sweet, ripe fruit, black cherry, currant fruit, quite soft with mild tannins. Nice finish with lots of complexity. Very nice wine, drinking well.
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2/9/2015 - moveablesirkus Likes this wine:
Dinner with Ez and L. Rich, meaty, dark fruit. Pretty slick but not super extracted or overtly manipulated...drinking well but could go much longer.
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9/21/2014 - winot wrote: flawed
Corked.
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7/7/2014 - silton Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a magnum, this was bonkers good from the get go but got better over a couple of hours. Supple smoke, roast beef, gravel and medium bodied black fruits in a harmonious frame. Sneaky length based on balance not extracted power. For me at or near peak.
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3/3/2014 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was better on night two than it was on night one. There was great dark roasted almost charred fruit and cedar notes. It became flatter and more gravely on night two.
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8/16/2013 - goofy Yno Likes this wine: 92 Points
A lot of brett initially, settled in with a beefy, dark nose. good fruit (blackberry) and some minerality. medium finish. not as complex as could be, but very good.
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12/11/2012 - suarezd wrote: 90 Points
Mild nose of fruit (in large part due to drinking out of cup and not wine glass); red fruits, veggies, hint of forest on the palate. Medium finish.
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11/23/2012 - lkatz wrote: 90 Points
Quite nice but not able to decant before drinking. Has a lot of life left, glad I have one more bottle.
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12/28/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 93 Points
At Sabrinas....
Decanted for four hours - twice - using a funnel. Mocha, blackberry, leather, licorice, blueberry and scorched earth. A soft and plush mid, with some spice on the long finish. I agree with the Medoc comparison; the tannins are Bordeaux-soft, with freshness. Just starting to sing and cellar-worthy. Drink 2012 - 2022.
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5/11/2011 - Dale M wrote:
Sure, we’ve all had the odd glass or bottle of a new world Cabernet, Merlot, or Bordeaux blend, and said “Hey, this kinda smells a like a good Left bank wine etc etc, but coming from a modernista Cornas producer – WTF? Indeed, just having had the 99 Palmer a few weeks ago, the nose on this puppy was damn near identical and in almost every way – perfumes of cassis and aged tobacco, cool mint tones, graphite and minerality up the Wazzu, it was all there leaving no doubt in my mind this would have fooled the best of em’. Oh man the palate was just a beast, and firmly in the old world Syrah camp, if just a tad (and I mean just a touch) modern. Tannic and pretty much impenetrable (yet light on its feet in that classic French manner), it was hard to really get a good read on this, but the high end raw materials are there, it just needs time. A lot of time. BTW this was decanted a good 8 hrs and I really wish I would have been able to track this over the course of a few days, oh well, it was really good even so. Having the 99 of this wine last year, Jean Luc knows his stuff, no question.
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11/28/2010 - AN Likes this wine: 93 Points
One of the best wines of 2010. Perfectly ripe red fruit, great structure and intensity, medium (+) body and acidity. Secondary aromas and flavours coming in making this wine very complex and full of adventurous layers. Just great. Purchased this bottle directly from the estate when visiting in 2008. Could develop another 4-5 years to reach its peak, however, will last much longer and is ready to drink now. Cheers!
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11/7/2009 - bajayngo wrote:
09 cayuse dinner quick notes - just a monster and baby. Was double decanted and still was tight as a drum. Dry red fruits, underbrush, meat and tannins galore. I loved this stuff and wish I had better notes!
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10/16/2009 - MauriceE wrote: 92 Points
Tasting of Rhône and some blinds by the DRC-club (Brugweg - Velp): The winner of the second flight of reds, alongside "Les Ruchets" and "Les Brulées". More complexity and depth here. Very good wine.
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9/19/2008 - JDB wrote: 89 Points
patience rquired
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