Cornas, Northern Rhône, Rhône, France
My contribution to a large Rhône dinner. Standouts were ‘07 Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc, ‘89 and ‘90 Jaboulet La Chappelle, ‘11 Guigal La Mouline.
An over-generalization, but what I love about Cornas is the rusticity and sometimes feral nature of the wines (which I don’t find in Hermitage or CR) and this ‘05 is in that vein. I followed this from pop (after all, we are at the almost 20yr mark) and over the course of three hours.
Interplay of red and black berry fruits, black pepper, slightly herbal (maybe closer to potpurri floral) aromatically. Bright and nimble on the palate, nothing about this is ripe or soft. Energetic acidity all the way through surrounded by notes of iron (sanguine-like) and rocky minerality. Crunchy red and black fruits (whole-cluster?), hint of gaminess but not in the meaty-style I semi-expected. Clean and pure style of Syrah. Big structure at the finish…hard to imagine drinking this 10+yrs ago. Acidity and tannin will carry this a long time, but I think this is peak window for getting depth of fruit and complexity.
My contribution to a large Rhône dinner. Standouts were ‘07 Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc, ‘89 and ‘90 Jaboulet La Chappelle, ‘11 Guigal La Mouline.
An over-generalization, but what I love about Cornas is the rusticity and sometimes feral nature of the wines (which I don’t find in Hermitage or CR) and this ‘05 is in that vein. I followed this from pop (after all, we are at the almost 20yr mark) and over the course of three hours.
Interplay of red and black berry fruits, black pepper, slightly herbal (maybe closer to potpurri floral) aromatically. Bright and nimble on the palate, nothing about this is ripe or soft. Energetic acidity all the way through surrounded by notes of iron (sanguine-like) and rocky minerality. Crunchy red and black fruits (whole-cluster?), hint of gaminess but not in the meaty-style I semi-expected. Clean and pure style of Syrah. Big structure at the finish…hard to imagine drinking this 10+yrs ago. Acidity and tannin will carry this a long time, but I think this is peak window for getting depth of fruit and complexity.
Fruit forward. Soft structure. More modern in style.
Fruit forward. Soft structure. More modern in style.
Aug 25th, 2019Yay! Nose hits you like a Reva. Tons of great dark fruit with the acid to balance
Yay! Nose hits you like a Reva. Tons of great dark fruit with the acid to balance
1 person found it helpfulFeb 4th, 20142005 - Dark fruits, black berry compote, minerals, garrigue, toast. Pretty damn good after 1.5 hours in the decanter. Went well with Jason Moore's brisket.
2005 - Dark fruits, black berry compote, minerals, garrigue, toast. Pretty damn good after 1.5 hours in the decanter. Went well with Jason Moore's brisket.
Jan 26th, 2015
Hmm. Seemed a bit odd. Not closed, just atypical. Good wine, but not great Cornas for me.
Hmm. Seemed a bit odd. Not closed, just atypical. Good wine, but not great Cornas for me.
Oct 26th, 2014Pretty solid bottle. Not quite the last bottle I had but nice
Pretty solid bottle. Not quite the last bottle I had but nice
Mar 5th, 2014
Sales Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant
Not surprised to find that this is reticent, but all the stuffing is there. Signature Clape: Earthy cellar scent, iodine, ink and dark, dark fruit.
Not surprised to find that this is reticent, but all the stuffing is there. Signature Clape: Earthy cellar scent, iodine, ink and dark, dark fruit.
Dec 22nd, 2017
