Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Seeing the most new oak of the lineup and spending upwards of 18 months in 100% new French oak, the 2011 Cornas La Sabarotte is also the richest, most decadent, and concentrated of the three single vineyards. Exhibiting terrific aromas and flavors of black raspberry, licorice, roasted meats, barbecue and forest floor, this full-bodied 2011 has a blockbuster texture, no hard edges and ample underlying structure that’s partially concealed by all of the fruit. It will have an easy 12-15 years of longevity and should not be missed!
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Wine Spectator
A pleasantly saturated version, with pastis, loganberry, blueberry coulis, black currant, anise and alder notes woven together. The fleshy finish shows excellent drive, with a buried yet strong charcoal spine. Best from 2015 through 2024.
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.