Winemaker Notes
This barrel selections Cornas from the famed La Geynale vineyard has an expressive, complex nose of black fruits, followed by vegetal, smoky, meaty and floral notes with a hint of eucalyptus. Elegant, voluminous palate supported by a very nice tension, with marked tannins and nice length.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
Dark and brooding, the 2022 Cornas Signature Verset showcases pronounced ripe dark fruits, pencil shavings, cedar, crushed rocks and a touch of cured meat. Full-bodied and concentrated, the 2022 is built like a brick wall, clearly necessitating extended bottle aging to fully come together. A persistently savory, powerful finish wraps it up.
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Wine Spectator
Winey and rich, with a ripe profile to its pepper-dusted plum, red currant and dried lavender notes, built upon a smoldering foundation of graphite. Density continues to build toward the robust finish, held with ripe tannins that still hold a tight grip. Cedar smoke and salt are nicely woven into the backdrop. Best from 2027 through 2040. 50 cases imported.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Distinguished as a fine Syrah producing zone since the 18th century, Cornas, like Cote Rotie, is made up of vineyards covering steep and hard-to-work, granite terraces. As a result the region’s wines fell out of favor during the mid 20th century when the global market was more focused on bulk wines and vineyards that yielded high quantities. It wasn’t until the 1980s when a group of energetic young winemakers reestablished the integrity of these precipitous terraces and also began making an ultra-modern style of Syrah. The new style didn’t need a decade before it was drinkable and could reach the consumer faster than the region’s traditional wines. Given the new quality coming out of the zone, its popularity once again soared and today a good Cornas can easily challenge many of those from Hermitage. Characteristics of Syrah from Cornas include teeth-staining flavors of blackberry jam, plum, pepper, violets, smoked game, charcoal, chalk dust and smoke.