2015 - Cornas Les Vieilles Fontaines, Alain Voge

Only produced in top vintages (this is the first since 2012), the 2015 Cornas Vieilles Fontaines comes from 80-year-old vines within the La Fontaine lieu-dit. It's a tough wine to evaluate at this stage, as it's quite closed and reticent on the nose, showing some crushed-stone notes and typical granite-based austerity, but on the palate it shows great purity of fruit and vigor. It's full-bodied but tight-laced, focused on driving through the long finish like a thoroughbred down the stretch. Give it at least 5 years in the cellar.

Opaque ruby. Mineral-accented aromas of ripe blackberry, cherry liqueur, licorice candy and vanilla, plus an exotic Indian spice nuance that gains strength as the wine opens up. At once weighty and energetic, offering densely packed black and blue fruit preserve flavors and hints of candied flowers, smoky minerals and spicecake. Smoothly blends power and energy and finishes pure and extremely long, featuring repeating spiciness and smooth, harmonious tannins.

Bottled in November 2016. Intoxicating opulence on the nose. Compressed blackberry jus with gorgeous violet fragrance and punchy yet polished tannin. The nose is really something to behold – a profound, rich, expressive and classic style. (RH)