Very good layers of fruit, including blackberry and plum, with a toasty thing happening underneath. Dense and rich in the mouth, but never heavy, with a good finish. These are full-bodied reds, sometimes rough at first, but never heavy. Well done Cornas in a vintage year that suffers by comparison to 1996. True classic French style winemaking at work here.
Sophisticated aromas are earthy and ancient, giving way to ripe red fruit and florals.
The old vines seem to make an obvious contribution here. This wine just tastes like it knows more than the other wines. Traditional in the best sense of the word. Raspberry-scented, with a lovely purple color and blackcurrant aroma, these wines have more immediate fruit than Cornas or Hermitage, but maintain a firm Syrah backbone. Great blackberry fruit and with enough oak and spice to balance it.