2006 Cornas

The 2006 Cornas, which Verset made when he was 87, is also his last vintage. It displays delicate, mineral-laced raspberry and floral scents, with suggestions of woodsmoke, camphor and black pepper in the background. It actually smells a lot like an elegant Côte-Rotie, which is fairly common with Verset’s wines. Sappy and fine-grained on the palate, with uncommon finesse and red fruit character for a Cornas, it possesses a seamless texture and a palate-numbing jolt of cracked pepper on the back half. Showing very good clarity on the finish, its gentle tannins come up slowly. A classic example of the elegant Verset style, this wine is a fitting swan song for his brilliant career.