2015 Cornas Granit 30
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Tasting notes
("about 20% whole clusters" and no new oak) Brilliant violet. A highly fragrant bouquet evokes ripe black and blue fruits, candied flowers and smoky minerals, and a peppery overtone lends spicy lift. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that deepen steadily and pick up a smoky aspect with air. Rich yet lively as well, showing very good energy on a long, sappy finish that features rounded tannins and lingering blue fruit character.
Critic scores
Average Score
John Livingstone-Learmonth, Drink Rhône
Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Moving to the bottled releases, the 2015 Cornas Granite 30 comes from the younger vines of the estate (the Patou and Saint Pierre lieux-dits) and spent 15 months in older barrels. It offers a youthful, jammy style in its blackberry, black raspberry, leafy herbs and peppery aromatics. Still tasting like a barrel sample, it has full-bodied richness, ripe, sweet tannin and solid overall freshness and purity. It needs 2-3 years of bottle age to come together, but is rock solid. The wines from the young Vincent Paris (who is now co-president of the Cornas Appellation) continue to get better and better every year, and he’s produced brilliant wines in both 2015 and 2016. It’s important to understand the three Cornas cuvées: Granite 30, Granite 60, and La Geynale. The Granite 30 is a younger vine cuvée from less steep hillside parcels (roughly 30 degrees), and it’s mostly destemmed and brought up in a mix of mostly used barrels. There are about 1,000 cases produced. The Granite 60 comes from older vines in the Patou, Les Mazards and Sauman lieux-dits, and steep slopes (60 degrees). This cuvée sees some stem inclusion and a similar time in mostly used barrels. This cuvée is normally a solid step up in depth and quality over the Granite 30. Roughly 400 cases is a normal production level for this release. Lastly, the La Geynale comes from the oldest vines of the estate, which were planted in 1910 and are located in the Geynale and Reynard lieux-dit. This cuvée sees very little destemming and is aged in, again, mostly neutral barrels. This is always the most backward, classically styled release in the lineup and takes a few years to integrate its stems. Nevertheless, it’s an incredible Cornas.
A blend of two parcels, the medium-bodied 2015 Cornas Granit 30 is taut and crisp, with red plums, red currants and dusty tannins. While well made, it lacks the ripeness and excitement of the domaine’s top cuvées.
Opaque ruby. Blackberry, cherry compote, incense and smoky minerals on the powerfully scented nose. Fleshy and expansive in the mouth, offering deep, mineral-laced black and blue fruit flavors and subtle notes of candied licorice and violet pastille. Picks up energy with air and finishes on a sappy dark berry note, with powerful thrust and wonderful length.