Cornas

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright with some purple swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, roasted meats and slight black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this seems open and ready to go.  Black cherries, some black raspberries with minerality and some char.  Nice finish.  A nice middleweight Cornas that is nice on its own but better with food.  A good match would be Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is a vintage that does drink well at such a young age.  Inky purple, ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has boysenberries, black cherries, roasted herbs, and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, clay, black raspberries, slight floral quality and spices.  This has some depth but it unwinds in the glass.  Delicious.  It will mature and may improve but it is drinking well now.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  This would work great, of course, with Cassoulet, but it will also work well Indian food.  

This is made from 100% Syrah in the Northern Rhone.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice if a bit reticent at first.  Boysenberries with slight sandalwood and a bit of floral qualities and char.  Full bodied.  Light tannins.  On the palate, this is understated but quite good.  Boysenberries with some char and spice.  Deep.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is nice on its own and better with hearty food.  It went well with Roasted Peppers and Root Vegetables.  Drink over the next eight to twelve years. 

This is maturing on a nice path is while not at peak, it is getting pretty gosh darn close.  Purple in color with a ruby rim, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic with boysenberries, char, black pepper and bacon fat.  Medium to full bodied.  Well balanced.  On the palate, lots of boysenberry fruit with some black pepper and a bit of char.  Long finish.  This drinks well on its own and will also work with food.  Cassoulet would be a classic pairing.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

Coming around but still young.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, clear and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, roasted meats, black pepper and slight floral notes.  Full bodied.  A nice backbone of acidity.  On the palate, black raspberry fruit with underlying char and pepper.  Clean.  Juicy.  Moderate finish.  This probably will drink better on day 2.  Patience will be rewarded.  Hold off for another few years then drink over the next ten to fifteen.  A nice match with roasted meats or veggies.  

This was quite tight.  Opened and tried over three nights and on the third night it finally started to show something.  That is, of course, not unusual for a traditional Cornas.  Purple in color, opaque and moderately bright.  The nose has boysenberries, slight bacon fat, black olives and slight pepper.  On the palate, this is medium bodied and very concentrated.  Nice texture which is probably the best clue that there is a nice wine lurking in there once it opens.  Enough boysenberry fruit to satisfy but this is more about minerality and earthiness.  It is quite tasty too.  If opening now,

Yes, this is young, but I have a few and wanted to try this.  It was well worth opening, but it did need some air.  Consumed over two days, it was better on day 2.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is great with black raspberries, roasted meat and herbs, slight bacon fat, and a slight floral (lavender?) note.  Full bodied.  Deep with firm tannins.  On the palate, lots of boysenberry fruit with some earthiness and char.  Long finish.  This needs about five to seven more years to get closer to peak.It should be good for another twelve to fifteen after that

Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black raspberries and clay.  Slight bacon fat.  On the palate, this has sour black raspberries.  That is interesting but really begs for food to counter the tartness.  Complex if still tight, it unwinds in the glass.  Medium tannins.  This is young and will benefit from a few more years of ageing.