2011 Cornas Vin Noir

Opaque ruby. Sexy dark berry and spicecake scents are complemented by floral oils, cola and black olive. Sappy, penetrating and spicy on the palate, offering sweet blackberry and cherry-cola flavors with suggestions of star anise and smoky minerals adding lift and cut. Closes supple and very long, with resonating spiciness and smooth, slow-building tannins.

A barrel selection that spent 16 months in one- to two-year-old barrels, the 2011 Cornas Vin Noir (which comes mostly from 100+-year-old vines) is more structured and tight, with knockout cassis, smoked herbs, caramelized beef and bouquet garni-like aromas and flavors all soaring from the glass. Tight, focused and concentrated, with big minerality that comes out with time in the glass, this gorgeous 2011 needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will have upwards of two decades of longevity. Proprietor Stephane Robert is knocking it out of the park from his tiny cellar located in Saint Peray. Producing up to three Cornas in any given vintage, he also releases four whites from Saint Peray and a serious Saint Joseph. Importer: A Jocelyn Cambier Selection, Appellation Imports, Annapolis Junction, MD; tel. (800) 221-9916

Inky ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of black raspberry, olive, smoky Indian spices and pipe tobacco. A sweet, juicy fruit bomb in the mouth, with very good energy to its flavors of cherry, dark berries and spicecake. Finishes with sweet, harmonious tannins and excellent spicy persistence.