2016 Cornas Gore

The 2016 Cornas Ogre is the Gore cuvée in 2016 and it's a rock star of a wine. Loaded with notions of blueberries, beef blood, violets, ground pepper, and sappy herbs, it’s flawlessly balanced and medium to full-bodied, has no hard edges, and is just a beautiful, elegant wine. Lovers of wild, feral, and uber-classic Cornas (or Syrah for that matter) need to know Domaine du Coulet and vigneron Matthieu Barret. These aren’t for those looking only for pure, clean fruit and the wines are loaded with gamey, violet, and searing peppery notes. They’re singular, high quality, and well worth seeking out.

Depending on the style of the vintage, Barret names this cuvée Ogre or Gore. The 2016 Cornas Domaine du Coulet Ogre comes from an east-facing site at 350 meters above sea level. It offers enchanting aromas of black tea, roses and redcurrants on the nose, while in the mouth it's medium to full-bodied but also airy, silky and ethereal in feel. A wine that marries this sort of flavor intensity with a weightless texture like this is a rare thing, and that combination carries through onto the beautifully long, lacy finish.

Compelling blackberry and pepper aroma with an exotic Earl Grey tea spiciness – divine. Brilliant concentration and smoothness. Everything is going so well until the mousy note on the finish, which I’m afraid leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. (RH)