2016 Cornas Pur Noir
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Cornas Pur Noir is a barrel selection of top lots in the vintage, and it delivers the goods in 2016. Possessing more minerality than the Vin Noir, with incredible notes of blueberries, currants, ozone/gunpowder, crushed rocks, liquid violets, and bacon fat, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, incredible purity of fruit, building tannin, and a huge finish. It’s a truly special, world-class wine that readers should beg, borrow, or steal to get ahold of!
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Explosive, smoke-tinged blueberry, cherry liqueur, incense and violet aromas show outstanding clarity and a touch of olive paste. Sweet and broad on the palate, offering deeply concentrated, mineral-tinged black and blue fruit preserve, floral pastille and spicecake flavors, along with suggestions of succulent herbs and smoky bacon. The extremely long, supple finish features bright minerally cut, sweet blue fruit and velvety tannins that come in late. The blend of richness and energy here is superb.
A two-barrel selection of Robert’s oldest vines, the 2016 Cornas Pur Noir (tasted from barrel) is hyperintense and embryonic. Within its inky depths, I glimpsed hints of purple raspberries and cassis, black olives and asphalt. It will need at least 5 years just to resemble something drinkable, but wow.