2012 Cornas Chailles
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Tasting notes
(vinified with 20% whole clusters): Deep ruby. Smoky, oak-spiced blackberry, licorice pastille and olive paste on the nose, with subtle floral and mineral nuances adding complexity. Velvety, sweet and nicely concentrated, offering dark berry liqueur and fruitcake flavors that slowly tighten up with air. Supple tannins come on late, giving shape to a long smoke- and spice-tinged finish. As approachable as this wine is today, I think that it has the material for cellaring.
Critic scores
Average Score
Julia Harding MW, jancisrobinson.com
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
Looking at the 2012 Cornas releases, the 2012 Cornas les Chailles (100% Syrah from the Les Chailles lieu-dit, aged in 2- to 5-year-old white-wine barrels) is stunning stuff that could rival the 2010 and 2011 in another couple of years. Offering up terrific cassis, black raspberry, crushed rock and licorice aromas and flavors, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless, with awesome purity. Already hard to resist, this puppy will evolve gracefully for upward of a decade.
Bottled April 2014, after 17 months of oak ageing (none new). Some leathery notes here, and a tremendous spice mix, a bit like middle-eastern flavours. Very fine tannin, making for a very digestible and compelling texture. (RH)
Brilliant ruby. Pungent, high-pitched aromas of dried cherry, violet and spicecake, with a subtle mineral overtone and a hint of black tea. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering lively dark berry flavors and a deeper note of bitter chocolate. A touch of black pepper adds lift and bite to the long, spicy, youthfully tannic finish.