This is the 5th vintage of this Cornas made by one of our favourite Northern Rhône producers, Pierre Gaillard.
It was a barrel sample and at this primary stage it had a saturated purple coloured centre accompanied with a vibrant bright purple outer core. The aromatics are expressive and already show off a wonderful complexity. The wine is certainly concentrated, dense and powerful but with a nice balance of fruit, spiciness and smoky oak. It has a warm opulent mouth feel, entertaining a mixture of both red & black fruits, red meat and graphite followed by waves of dark chocolate, white pepper and finishes with hints of cracked black pepper.
Cornas has a reputation for being hard, angular and lean, especially when young, and although the tannins of this wine certainly had grip, they were ripe and added tension and structure rather than aggression. These tannins will no doubt soften and melt away over time.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable and expressive example of a youthful Cornas and a great accompaniment to Alex Robertson’s home-made ‘runny centred’ venison Scotch egg.
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