2021 Cornas Vieilles Vignes

Already bottled, the 2021 Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes is a tiny production cuvée that comes from a single parcel of very old vines. It's more inward and reserved, with beautiful darker, almost blue fruits as well as some gamey meats, liquid violets, ground pepper, and obvious mineral-like aromas and flavors. Concentrated, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced on the palate, it plays in the fresher, elegant style of the vintage yet has plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe tannins, and a great finish. It should benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and evolve gracefully over the following 10-15 years. It's impressive. Today, the talented Lionel Fraisse leads this terrific domaine, and he continues to make richly textured, incredibly impressive wines. Looking at the whites, the flagship Fleur de Crussol was first created in 1999 as a collaboration between Alain Voge and Lyon’s sommelier Daniel Denis. It comes from some of the oldest vines in the appellation and a mix of both granite and limestone soils. It always shows its oak élevage right on release and benefits from bottle age. The Saint-Péray Cuvée Boisée was first released in 1984 but was renamed Cuvée Ongrie in 2015. It, too, is 100% Marsanne (from 50-year-old vines and slightly more clay soils) and is raised in a mix of 228- and 400-liter barrels, with roughly 30% being new today. As with the Fleur de Crussol, it sees lots of lees contact and benefits from bottle age. Lastly, the Saint-Péray Harmonie was first created in 2001, and it comes from a handful of sites and is raised all in concrete tanks. You can think of this as the entry-level white from the estate, and it has always had a fresh, textbook Saint-Péray style. Moving to the reds, all of the Cornas from this estate are beautiful wines. The Cornas Les Chailles was first created in 2003 and comes from a mix of the Combe, Les Saveaux, Cayret, Les Mazards, Chaillot, and Chapuzes lieux-dits, mostly on the lower slopes of the appellation. It’s completely destemmed and raised in used oak. This can be thought of as the entry level wine of the domaine, and while it drinks well right out of the gate, it normally benefits from a few years in the cellar. A new cuvée, the Cornas Chapelle Saint Pierre comes from higher elevation vines planted in 1999 (the lieu-dit is Saint-Pierre). These grapes previously went into the Vieilles Vignes release, yet due to their singular profile, the estate opted to create a new cuvée. This is mostly destemmed and aged all in used 228-liter barrels.The Cornas Vieilles Vignes comes from vines averaging 30 to 80 years in age, and it’s mostly destemmed, with the élevage in a mix of larger barrels, 20% being new. This is a classic, concentrated Cornas that offers loads of fruit and richness without going over the top. Most top vintages need 4-5 years of bottle age and have two decades of prime drinking. Lastly, and only in top vintages, they’ll release a Cornas Vieilles Fontaines. First produced in 1988, the cuvée comes from a parcel of very old vines and a lieu-dit La Fontaine, which is just beside the Les Côtes lieu-dit. I believe there might have been small portions from the Chaillot lieu-dit in the past, but this cuvée is partially destemmed (70%) and is raised 24 months in 15-20% new French oak barrels (228-liter.) It’s always the most powerful, full-bodied, and opulent of the lineup, and it needs a solid 4-6 years to shed its youthful baby fat and round into a classic Cornas.