2016 Cornas Chailles

Deep magenta. Fresh black and blue fruits, dark chocolate, violet and a hint of black pepper on the expansive nose. Sappy, sweet and focused on the palate, showing sharp delineation and lift to spice-laced blackberry, cassis, floral pastille and bitter chocolate flavors. Pliant and seamless in texture, showing impressive clarity and spicy thrust on the gently tannic finish, which echoes the spice and floral notes.

Leading off the Cornas releases, the 2016 Cornas Les Chailles is a wine that always delivers pleasure. It offers an exotic bouquet of violets, black and blue fruits, gamey meats, incense, and bouquet garni. It's medium to full-bodied, rich, beautifully textured, and layered, with the charm to drink today and the balance and class to keep for a decade or more. It's a rich, powerful Cornas from 2016. While this estate has been in the talented hands of Albéric Mazoyer for the past few decades, the torch is being slowly passed to the passionate Lionel Fraisse. Lionel has been at the estate since 2012, and I certainly don’t expect any drop in quality here.

A blend of young vine fruit, the 2016 Cornas les Chailles is a full-bodied, supple wine that offers immediate gratification. Notes of roasted meat and ripe plums come together in an open-knit, accessible format. Drink it over the next 6-7 years.