| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Rhône > Northern Rhône > Cornas |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
Similar in style, yet more backward and concentrated, the 2014 Cornas les Vieilles Vignes (18 months in 15% new French oak) offers impressive amounts of graphite, black and blue fruits, licorice and scorched earth in its medium to full-bodied, concentrated, focused style. It needs 2-3 years of cellaring and will drink well for a decade. 2017 - 2027
Distinctly herbal nose, with liquorice, tarragon and just-ripe blackberry. Medium-bodied, there's a definite fluidity in the wine. Lovely bright mineral side on the finish, with notes of iron and blood too, however you really feel the serrated Cornas tannins. Fresh and ready to drink now. Not the longest finish perhaps, but very true to Cornas. 'It should have been a great vintage,' says Lionel Fraisse, 'there was rain at the right time, sun at the right time - then 200mm of rain, and hail on 21 September.' So there was dilution. From lieux-dits Combe, Patou, La Côte, Tézier, Mazards, Chaillot, old vines of Chapelle St Pierre (the same plots for the cuvée Les Chailles, but further up the slopes). Racked in May, bottled in June, released in the autumn. 20% whole bunch, three weeks maceration, 20 months in oak, 10%-15% new. No Vieilles Fontaine produced in 2014, so this contains the fruit from that vineyard.
