2000 Cornas Coteaux

The black/purple-colored, masculine 2000 Cornas Cuvee Coteaux (from 20-40 year old vines) reveals good richness on the attack, but ferocious tannin in the finish. It should gain texture as it will be racked until bottling in the fall, 2002. The level of sulphur is extremely low (approximately 15 ppm). This wine has good length, but the high tannin is a concern ... at least for now. The gregarious, talented Michel Tardieu was exceptionally enthusiastic about his 2000 southern Rhones, but decidedly less impressed with those from the north. His criticism mirrored those of other serious producers, namely that there were too many grapes, and that the high yields made it nearly impossible to achieve great richness unless there was draconian crop thinning, something many producers were not prepared to do given the fact it was a millennium vintage. While the 2000 Tardieu-Laurent offerings are excellent for the vintage, they are significantly less concentrated and textured compared to the awesome 1999s. Importers: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808 and Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029