2016 Cornas Chante Perdrix
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Tasting notes
Dark purple. Dark berry preserve, licorice, incense, olive and exotic spice scents are accompanied by a building woodsmoke note. Sappy and broad on the palate, offering spice-tinged bitter cherry, blueberry and violet pastille flavors supported by juicy acidity. The floral note carries through a very long, dark-fruit-driven finish, and gently chewy tannins add shape and grip.
Critic scores
Average Score
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Moving to the 2016s from bottle, the saturated purple-colored 2016 Cornas Chante Perdrix offers a searing bouquet of white pepper, black and blue fruits, violets, and hints of bacon fat in its medium-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant style. With terrific purity and supple tannins, it's going to benefit from just short-term cellaring and is ideal for drinking through 2026. Owned by the Louis Roederer/Deutz Champagne firm, Delas Frères is another largely negotiate estate that is fashioning brilliant wines from throughout the Rhône Valley. The incredible quality has been led by Burgundian Jacques Grange, who joined Delas Frères in 1997, and he’s assisted by the talented Claire Darnaud. The 2015s, reviewed last year, are some of the finest wines ever from this estate (same league as the 2009s and 2010s). They’ve done a fine job in 2016, with the wines showing more elegant characters, missing the density or structure of a top year, yet offering balanced, very drinkable profiles. The 2017s should surpass the 2016s, but also have upfront charming characters. It’s worth noting that this estate has seen a progression in style since 2005, where the wines were more extracted and oaky, to the 2016s and 2017s today, which could be seen as more mid-weight and elegant.
The 2016 Cornas Chante Perdrix starts off a little tarry, but it quickly shapes up in the glass to reveal grilled meat and red plum aromas. It's medium to full-bodied, with an open-knit texture and a long, peppery and crisp finish. It should drink well for a decade or so.
(made from fruit grown in the La Côte, Reynard and Saint-Pierre lieux-dits ) Lurid violet. Deep-pitched cassis, blueberry, candied licorice and violet scents are complicated by olive and licorice nuances. Broad and seamless in the mouth, offering concentrated black and blue fruit, allspice and floral pastille flavors and a smoky Indian spice flourish. Becomes sweeter and more energetic with air and finishes impressively long and spicy, featuring slow-building tannins and lingering florality.