Jay Kline

9.1

This bottle was opened sometime earlier in the evening before a glass was handed to me. Pacalet’s 2018 Cornas pours, a deep ruby purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with wild notes of ripe and tart black and red fruits: mixed brambles, freshly cracked black pepper, bacon fat, lavender, dried green herbs and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. Considering Philippe is Burgundian, I think he does a great job with Cornas; certainly showing a sense of place with the feral nature of Serine. Drink now through 2038. — 10 days ago

John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.1

Really delicious. Rich yet relatively high toned. 13.3%! Impressive. Day 2, kind of strange. Lowered rating a bit. — 3 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Young Syrah (25 years) from Côte-Rotie area. Modern style "on the fruit" (black) fresh, and lively. The finish reveals pretty fairly dense and round tannins. — 5 years ago

Bill Morgan

9.0

A blend of red and dark fruit with subtle complexity. — 2 months ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Medium ruby , narrow garnet rim . This is a touch herbal , with some dark cherry, blackberry , meaty notes , slightly wet slate notes. After a while this opens up a bit more showing more dark fruits , black pepper , cherry jam and violet . On the palate this has good cherry , slightly smoky , herbal dark fruits . Nicely elegant on the palate , fresh acidity and slightly chalky tannins . This is drinking well now with time , but with still show well over the next 5-10 years. — 4 months ago

Jena Wilson

9.5

One day in Armenia. Lovely dinner at Sherep with Joe paired with this perfect 2018 dry wine. — 4 years ago

Alexander Vadas

9.5

Tasted at the winery. Profound wine. Deep color compared to the regular Côte Rotie. Driven by old-vine serine inclusion. Could contemplate for hours ... — 7 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

I find that Saint-Joseph can come in various guises, from polished, suave and extracted to meaty, rustic and traditional – perhaps due to the sheer size of the appellation and varied characteristics of its vineyards and vignerons. My first experience with Saint-Cosme’s SJ was an old bottle enjoyed around ten years ago that was superb. So, what’s it like now – and young?

The 2020 is a burly heavyweight, somewhere between traditional and modern in style, with punchy savoury aromas of grilled meat, charcoal, along with fresh blackcurrant, steeped plums and fig paste. There is also such a floral quality that it possesses a southern-Rhône appearance. But the palate is so very Syrah, very tannic initially and laden with dark fruits, espresso, dark chocolate and a kiss of new oak. This improves with air, and will improve with age. Built for the long-haul.

February 2025 — 2 months ago

Gunja Gargeshwari

9.4

Beautiful fruit - berries on the plate and a smooth finish. So different than other over the top high rated Syrah! — 4 years ago

Chip Hughes

9.4

This is not Macabeu, as Delectable indicates. It’s 100% Serine. Much like the Segna de Cor cuvée, it’s fresh, tense and incredibly detailed for a red from such hot, hardscrabble terroir. Smashing purity; all the great Syrah feels you get from the world’s masters of the grape. Extraordinary and fine. — 6 years ago