2022 Franck Balthazar Cornas Cuvée Casimir
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Coming from vines lower on the slope closer to the village, the 2022 Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar is Balthazar's entry-level cuvée and has beautiful, ripe red and black fruits intermixed with spice, pepper, and classic Cornas character on the nose. It's medium to full-bodied and concentrated on the palate, has ripe tannins, and a great finish. It's still young but gorgeous today and has a solid 20 years ahead of it. Drink 2026-2046.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Yohan Castaing, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Crafted from old vines rooted in clay soils—two-thirds at the foot of the slope and one-third mid-slope—the 2022 Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar unfurls from the glass with a delicately reduced bouquet of dark cherries, spices, pepper and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textured, it's elegantly juicy with good depth at the core, structured, youthful tannins and a long, spicy finish. Currently introverted due to the presence of reduction, it requires time to integrate its élevage and fully adjust to its recent bottling. This is an impressive effort.
The 2022 Cornas Cuvée Casimir Balthazar is a savory beast. Full-bodied, tannic and concentrated, it bundles radiant black fruits, cedar, graphite and cured meat aromatics. Doubling down with afterglow on the savory finale, the 2022 demands at least three more years in a cool cellar.