Cornas Syrah

Popped and poured; something I don’t recommend. This was super lean on Day 1 and hard to even identify as Syrah. However, by Day 3 it’s a different story. The 2021 pours a deep ruby with near opaque core; medium viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of red, black and blue fruits, bacon fat, lavender pastilles, and gentle warm spices. On the palate, medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is also medium. This is definitely on the leaner side and having had enough of the 2021’s from both the Northern and Southern Rhone, the vintage certainly reminds me a touch of 2014. This needs some time and I suspect patience will be rewarded down the road, just like the 2014’s have proven. Regardless, this is a lighter and more classic vintage. Best after 2028 and through 2040.

Nose has vanilla extract. Wild mint, herbs, red currant fruits, spice, granite tinged throughout. Insane palate of tiny berrt fruit explosion. Unreal finesse. So long and incredible. More soon.

Love this Burgundian style throwback Cornas. Nose is deep blackberry and cassis with dried herbs and black olive. Huge crushed granite and a deep meatiness. Much to like on this nose. Palate is ripe and rich but elegant, succulent and juicy. Really nimble, fresh and gorgeous sweet fruit and tannins. Wow this is so impressive. Amazing texture and fruit clarity and a deep, mouth coating finish that lasts minutes. Profound showing. Unreal fruit whiplash on the finish makes this so elite. Silky and elegant. Just an amazing wine.

On day 2 this is so silky, sweet and velvety. Seductive.

So classic. Juicy and so sleek and elegant. So Burgundian

Stunning nose of black tinged red berry fruit, olives and gorgeous granite. The red fruits of 21 are so remarkable. Unreal, heavenly aromas, this is a 9.8 nose. Wow. Palate is ripe and rich but also has glorious red berry fruit within a very silky frame and gorgeous. caressing and elegant tannins. This is so lithe and pretty. Will track through the night. Unreal crystalline purity and such amazing crunch and sap. So pretty. Long finish. What a bottle. After a few hours the nose is richer and has a thicker vibe but still is so vivid, clean, and granitic. Glorious red fruits on the palate and so clean, so fresh and so elegant. Most Burgundian Syrah ever. Overnight this got so refined. The delicate tannic structure and mouthfeel are next level. 9.7 to 9.8.

Deep dark nose of bloody cornas, wow what a nose, juicy and sleek and clear. lovely, slippery red fruits and wonderful texture and opulence for a 21. So silky. Great purity and sap. Great minerals and inner mouth aromas and sicko depth. Fantastic. 9.6. Wow wow wow. So bright and energetic. Amazing length. what a mineral nose, really elegant and red fruited. Good ripe tannins. Love the crystalline fruit.

This veers towards the Sozet school rather then the Beliando/Fauterie school. Mesmerizing nose of game, herbs, lavender, fresh tweed, blackberry, smoked meats, gravy, just impossibly complex and super super stunning. The black fruits are crystalline and focused. Wow. What purity. The lavender top note is truly spectacular. Palate is superb. Sweet fruited and with all kinds of freshness. Super acids. It’s 18 so there is a wall of tannin and also huge god level minerality. Olives galore on the palate. Stunning. But man does this need air. I’ll be back. Wow the energy on this wine is just incredible. Nose is crazy mineral now after 3 hours. Palate has picked up heft and minerality. So juicy. The most backwards young but maybe the most promising young vintage so far.

What a nose. This is screaming! Dark black and purple olives and aggressive gaminess but also fantastic tiny blackberry intensity. Wow. Stunning nose. Granite and herbs. So complex and aromatic. Palate is as elegant as Cornas can get with awesome treacly texture and insane freshness. So good. Slippery. Superb concentration and tiny berry fruit intensity. So pure and just great freshness. Acidity and granitic snap are on point. Brilliant length and sweet, velvety tannins. Loads of black berry fruit. Some wild mint now on the nose. Stunning. Superb structure and density. This is best showing yet. So long and huge fruit on the finish.

A stunner. Just a stunner. Nose is black olive, green olive, tree bark, loads of granite and earth, some spice and some lovey high toned berry aromas. Another mesmerizing nose. Palate is juicy and elegant with terrific inner mouth aromas and awesome velvety tannins. So so juicy as pure. The tannins and red velvet finished with granite. Man this is long. An ethereal and deep nose. Just amazing fruit and intermingled with olive and such unreal juiciness. Wow, inner mouth olives and dark berry. Elegant, complex, concentrated and no hard edges. Super long and elegant finish. Insanely complex and also serene and zen. Massive step up over brilliant 2016. Insane I am giving this a 9.6. This is only 16 year old vines. But it has earned it. My god this is so clean, pure, deep, balanced and fresh.

This is a stunning stunning old school Cornas that I am in shock is not famous. Nose of granite, flowers, huge berry fruit that has unreal clarity, blackberry, red berry, olive, game, granite, smoked meats, loam and just so so high toned. I mean this jumps out of the glass. An unreal decadent, vivid nose. Just a 9.5 easily on the nose. Incredible balance, depth, purity and freshness with an overwhelming sense of game, meat, olive character on the palate. Also a gorgeous dried earth minerality. Palate has grippy tannins and such pure, sweet but wild fruit. Elegant and concentrated with such serious minerality on the finish and just amazing high quality tannins. Juicy and serene. Long finish. Very complex. Young but stunning.

UPDATE: after 7 hours this is on fire. Nose is deep mineral, clay, earthen scents. Floral perfume. So ethereal. 9.5 to 9.6. Palate is dark, silky, gamey, really meaty but the silkiness brings it to another level. Great stuff.