2011 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60 Vieilles Vignes

A bigger, richer style, the 2011 Cornas Granit 60 is one of the stars of the vintage. Offering up a layered, complex bouquet of black fruits, smoked herbs, charcoal, mint and crushed rock, it flows onto the palate with a voluptuous, blockbuster-styled texture that carries brilliant levels of fruit, sweet tannin and moderate acidity. Given the additional fruit and texture here, it’s actually more approachable than the Granit 30 at the moment; nevertheless, it will evolve gracefully for 15 years or more, and is an awesome wine. An up and coming superstar of Cornas, Vincent Paris manages his roughly 20-acre estate to produce three Cornas; the Granit 30, which comes from younger vines located lower on the slope, in the lieu-dit Mazards; the Granite 60, which includes the older vines of the estate (and comes from steeper, higher elevation slopes); and the La Geynale, which comes from a single plot of 100-year-old vines located mostly in the Renard lieu-dit (it is also the only wine to not see any destemming). With regards to the Granit 30 and Granit 60, the number refers to the slope of the hill where the vines are planted, not the age of the vines. While 2011 and 2012 produced a bevy of more forward, moderately concentrated wines, both of these 2011s and 2012s buck that trend and offer serious depth and richness. They’re some of the top wines in the appellation and readers need to get on this young vigneron’s bandwagon! Importer: A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers). Paris fax: 011 33 1 46 45 15 29

Glass-staining ruby. Pungent, spice-accented aromas of red fruit compote, cherry pit and fresh flowers. Juicy and sharply focused, offering gently sweet black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and a lashing of peppery spices. Closes with gentle grip and very good length, betraying only a hint of tannins.